Involuntary commitment
by Dutch FF-lover
Summary: An alternative ending, starting with the mob scene. What could have happened when Belle opened the door to Monsieur D'Arque.
1. Chapter 1

This is an alternative ending to Disney's Beauty and the Beast. It starts with the mob scene at Belle's house at the end of the movie. Enjoy!

Thanks to Nikki for beta'ing this chapter! And I don't own the characters Disney owns.

I know the first part of this chapter looks very familiar (of course it does, I stole most of it), new stuff at the end of the chapter.

* * *

The afternoon was almost over and it was already dark outside. Belle was tired. Finding her father and getting him back to their house had taken almost all of her energy. He was now asleep after eating some soup to get his strength back. It would take time for him to get better, but at least he was inside, in a warm bed. It would turn out alright. He was safe now. Once her father was recovered they could return to the castle together.

She sighed and went downstairs, then sat down at the table with a quill and a piece of paper. Tomorrow she would send the Beast a message that everything was alright and that they would see each other again soon. Even though she had had no choice and going to look for her father had been the right decision, she felt bad about leaving the Beast behind. He had been friendly to her. More friendly than she ever expected him to be. It had been a perfect evening.

A knock on the door interrupted Belle's thoughts and she was immediately on her guard. It was not a time for visitors, especially for the reason that she and her father rarely received visitors. She opened the door, but not completely. Outside stood Monsieur D'Arque, the owner of the insane asylum, The Maison des Lunes. _What is he doing here_, she thought alarmed.

"May I help you?" she asked politely.

"I've come to collect your father," the man said with a deep voice. He stepped aside and to Belle's shock she saw the carriage of the asylum. And there was more. Not just the carriage and more caretakers from the asylum, but the entire village had assembled at her house. They kept their distance, but they all brought torches to see what was going on.

"My father?"

"Don't worry, Mademoiselle," he continued. "We'll take good care of him."

Belle shook her head. This was a misunderstanding. It had to be. "My father is not crazy!"

All of a sudden, Lefou appeared from the crowd. "He was raving like a lunatic!" he shouted, before turning back to the crowd. "We _all_ heard him, didn't we?"

The other villagers apparently agreed with Lefou, they were all nodding and muttering words Belle couldn't hear.

"No, I won't let you!" she said. She stepped outside to make the crowd leave.

"Belle?" a voice behind her said.

Her father had come out of his bed and was now standing behind the door. Belle wanted to bring him back inside. He shouldn't worry about whatever was going on here.

Lefou grinned and started to talk to her father. "Ah Maurice!" he said slyly. "Tell us again, old man, just how big _was_ that beast?"

Belle closed her eyes and realized what must have happened. Her father had told the villagers about the Beast in the castle. And they didn't believe him. Why would they? What had happened to her was too good to be true.

"Well, he was… that is… enormous! I'd say at least eight, no more like _ten_ feet!"

The crowd started to laugh and Lefou did everything he could to make it even worse. "Well, you don't get much crazier than that!" he laughed.

"It's true, I tell you!" her father tried to explain.

Belle wanted to go to her father. If she could get him back into the house, the crowd might leave them alone.

Then Monsieur D'Arque made a gesture for the two caretakers to come over. They both grabbed one of her father's arms and started to drag him towards the carriage.

"Take him away!" Lefou shouted.

"Let go of me!" Belle heard her father yell. _This is not happening. This is not happening, I'm dreaming. _But if it was a dream, it had to stop now.

"No, you can't do this!" she said to Monsieur D'Arque, grabbing his shoulder and trying to stop him. He simply brushed her off and walked away. He wasn't even interested in her.

She didn't know what else she could do now. She had to stop these people from taking her father. They couldn't take him! He wasn't insane! The Beast was real!

Gaston appeared behind her, with his hand on her shoulder. "Poor Belle. It's a shame about your father," he said sympathetically.

_Gaston!_ That could be their only way out of this situation! The villagers would listen to Gaston! He could persuade Monsieur D'Arque to let her father go!

"You know he's not crazy, Gaston," she said pleadingly.

He rubbed his cheek as if he was thinking about a solution for her. "I might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding, _if_..." he said slowly.

"If what?" she asked. She was getting suspicious, what was he up to? This wasn't good.

He smiled at her, stroking her cheek "If you marry me."

"What?" she said in disgust.

"One little word, Belle," he grabbed her upper arms, restraining her from leaving. "That's all it takes!"

Without hesitation, Gaston pressed his lips firmly on Belle's. She tried to pull back her head, but Gaston held his hand at the back of her neck, restraining her from getting away. It felt awful, the wet pressure. She tried to stay calm, keeping her lips together, breathing through her nose. Only with that, she inhaled his scent. A sweaty nauseating smell. And not just his sweat, but beer as well. As soon as she noticed the whiff of stale beer, she could taste it on his lips.

With all the strength she had, she pushed him back and spat in his face. "Never!" she said panting.

Gaston gave her a cold look. He turned away and she saw him wiping off the spit with the back of his hand. She could see he was breathing heavily. What had she done? He would get furious. Dangerous. This was the second time she had humiliated him in public! There hadn't been a choice, she couldn't let him handle her like this, but God knew what he was going to do to her now. And to her father!

But then, he turned back and spoke calmly to her, "poor Belle."

Belle let out a small gasp. This was even more scarier. She had expected him to raise his hand to her, or some other violent act. She had expected him to explode, but he had hardly seemed to react. He even sounded pitiful.

"She has the same problem as her father," Gaston said with a sad expression of his face. He placed his hands on her shoulders and spoke to the crowd. "We are the closest family she has. It is up to us to take care of her."

"No!" she said aggressively and released herself from Gaston's grip. "I can prove it!" She ran inside to get the mirror, with the magic mirror she could show images of the Beast and it would prove that her father wasn't insane.

"Show me the Beast!" she said to the mirror. This was her way out! The mirror was all she needed! They were safe as long as she had the mirror.

But before she could show the crowd and Monsieur D'Arque that the Beast was real, Gaston pulled the mirror out of her hands, let it fall to the ground and planted his heel in the glass.

For a moment it felt like the world stopped. Everything was silent, except the sound of the shattered glass.

"NO!" She sank to the ground and tried to pick up the pieces and put them back into the frame. But it was no use. The mirror was broken. Her only proof… gone… She looked up to Gaston with tears in her eyes. "Why did you do that?" she asked desperately.

He smiled at her and helped her up. He opened her hands and let the pieces fall into the sand. "Belle, I'm only trying to take care of you."

"You will pay for this," she said coldly. "I swear, you will pay for this."

"We'll see about that, Belle," Gaston answered, still smiling, beckoning the men of the asylum to come closer. "We'll see about that."


	2. Chapter 2

The carriage rode off at top speed away from the village to the insane asylum. The wheels clattered and rattled on the road, but as noisy as the sound was, it couldn't cover the loud screams that came from inside the carriage: "LET US OUT! YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS! GASTON! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

Gaston sat on the box next to Monsieur d'Arque, listening to Belle's screams and curses with a satisfied smile. He wondered how long it would take her to get too tired to scream.

The man next to him was not as pleased. He was rubbing his temples. "Gaston, you know I never interfere with your affairs, but are you sure you want to marry this screaming cat?" D'Arque said.

"Absolutely sure, Paul," Gaston replied with a laugh. "That screaming cat back there is like an untrained filly, wild and full of temperament. You need to break her will before you can ride her."

At that moment the screaming stopped. Gaston gave his friend an 'I told you so'- look. "See?" _That went quicker than even I had hoped._

The silence lasted only a few moments. Then Belle started screaming again. Monsieur d'Arque sighed. "Stop the carriage for a second, will you? There is something I need to do or_ I_ will go crazy." He took a bottle and a handkerchief out of his pocket, poured the liquid on the handkerchief and stepped off the box. "It's still half an hour till we get to the asylum, so if you don't mind, I'm going to silence that untrained filly of yours."

"I enjoy listening to my wife, like every good husband," Gaston said with a grin. "But go ahead if you must."

* * *

The carriage stopped and Belle stopped yelling immediately. She tried to listen to what was happening outside. What was going on? Where were they? They couldn't be at the asylum already - they had only been traveling for about five minutes. Why had they stopped? She didn't hear anything. But the carriage started to shake for a moment. Someone was getting off the box.

"Belle, what's going on?" Maurice asked drowsily. He was sitting on the bench across from Belle, his head resting against the side of the carriage. He was still wearing his nightgown.

Belle sat down next to her father and took his hand. "I don't know, papa. Try to get some sleep," she sighed. She wanted to sound confident, to assure her father that everything would turn out all right, but at this moment everything looked hopeless.

A second later the door opened and Monsieur d'Arque quickly stepped into the carriage.

"Monsieur, I kindly request that you let us go," Belle said, trying to sound civil and calm. If she could reason with this man it might be over soon. "We didn't do anything. We're not mad nor a danger to others."

"Talking about beasts living in a castle is reason enough, mademoiselle," Monsieur d'Arque explained simply. "Don't worry, mademoiselle, we'll take good care of you."

"You can't get away with-"

"Oh, I will," he interrupted her. With that, he leaned forward and pushed the handkerchief over Belle's nose and mouth.

"What is this?" Belle tried to get the piece of fabric out of her face, but as soon as she took a breath she started to feel drowsy. She smelt something sweet, but she has no idea what it was. There was something on this handkerchief._ We have to get out of here, I have to warn… I have to warn the Beast_…

"Nothing to worry about, Maurice," she heard Monsieur d'Arque say in the distance. "It's only ether…"

* * *

"How tragic, such a beautiful young girl losing her mind," a woman's voice said.

Belle didn't know how much time had passed when she woke up again. She was lying on a couch, her head was throbbing and her mouth was dry. She had a hard time swallowing. She opened her eyes, but the shapes were blurry. After a few blinks, she realized that this wasn't her home.

She didn't know exactly where she was. She heard voices but she couldn't identify the voices. They came from behind the couch. She couldn't lift her head to see who was talking.

"She is supposed to marry this gentleman," a man answered.

The voice was familiar, but Belle wasn't able to identify who it was. It was an older man. She wanted to lift her head to see who else was in the room, but all her muscles hurt. She didn't have the energy to even move her arms.

What were they talking about? Who was going to get married? And who had lost her mind? It didn't make sense.

"Ah…" it was the woman's voice again. "Cold feet?"

"He was having dinner at the girl's house with her and her father, discussing the upcoming wedding, when all of a sudden she turned against him, thinking he is out to harm her."

"Lunacy? Hallucinations?"

"Apparently so," the man said. "You might find her talking about a beast in a castle. A beast that is gentle and kind. A beast she loves." The voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Belle couldn't hear exactly what the couple was discussing now. Her head was aching as if someone were hammering loudly. She did hear them saying something about a beast in a castle. Her Beast. They were talking about him. How could they know about the Beast? He was completely isolated. They couldn't know…

"Does she perhaps think of the gentleman as that beast? That she loves him, but that she is afraid of him as well?" the woman said.

"Good observation, Madame. This girl has the repulsive habit of reading fairytales around the clock."

It was her! They were talking about her! Belle tried to get up again. She had to stop them. They couldn't speak about her like that. She was not crazy. The Beast was real! She had to do something!

"She's probably living in her own fairytale world from time to time. Either way, we have to exile her insane beliefs and hallucinations."

"Help her," a new voice said. It was a man. Not the same as the one she heard before. This one was younger.

"Monsieur, I can assure you, we will do everything we can to help your fiancée to get back to the real world," the woman said. "But I must warn you: if her case is as severe as I think it is, monsieur, her treatment will be hard and difficult."

"Do whatever you must do to get her better," the young man said, determined. "We WILL be married."

Gaston! It was Gaston she heard! Then it came back to Belle. His final proposal, This couldn't be! "No…" she said weakly. "We won't."

"She is awake already," the woman said, surprised.

Within two seconds Belle felt a hand pushing her up. The hand held the back of her head, while another put a glass of water against her lips. Eagerly she drank as much as she could, not noticing that half of the water landed on her dress. The water helped to clear her head. Bits and pieces came back. It was still a blur, but she remembered sitting on the edge of her father's bed.

"You're safe, Belle," she heard Gaston whisper to her.

She pushed the hand with the glass away, turning to the side to look. There was Gaston, kneeling next to the couch. He smiled at her. He took away his hand and laid her back gently on the couch. Tenderly he pushed a lock of hair away from her face.

"You're safe," he repeated, caressing her cheek. "No one here will harm you."

_No one except you! Just like you will hurt my father…. _she thought grimly. As if she were struck by a lightning bolt, it came all back to her. The mob, the carriage. Monsieur d'Arque's handkerchief being stuffed in her face. The Maison des Lunes! She was in the asylum! _Oh mon Dieu! Papa!_ Where was her father? He wasn't in the room. What if they had locked him up in a dungeon!

"Where is my father?" she asked aggressively. "What have you done to him?"

"Belle, calm down. No need to get upset. I'll make sure your father is being taken care of as long as you are here."

"How dare you!" she screamed as she jumped off the couch and attacked Gaston with her fists. She knew exactly what he meant by 'taking care of her father'! She had to look for her father and get him away from here!

"Easy now, Belle," Gaston said in an almost bored tone as he grabbed her wrists. "You don't want to hurt me."

"You see, Madame, her state of mind is very fragile," Monsieur d'Arque said.

"Definitely insane," the woman sighed. She came out from behind her desk and walked over to the coach. The woman was much stronger than she looked, and quite easily she took over Gaston's grip of Belle's wrists and dragged her over to a chair in the middle of the room. "Keep her arms on the arms of the chair," she said to Gaston, who immediately pressed Belle's arms against the chair's.

No matter how hard Belle tried, she couldn't get away. "You can't do this to me!" she yelled in a panic. What were they going to do to her? Like everyone in the village, she had heard the horrifying stories about the asylum. Everyone stayed as far away as possible from the asylum. Parents used it as a device to scare their children, threatening to send them to the Maison des Lunes if they didn't obey.

"LET ME GO!"

With great efficiency, the woman strapped Belle's wrists to the chair with two leather straps, saying. "Mademoiselle, don't make it worse than it already is." She took Belle's chin between her thumb and her index finger, forcing her to keep eye contact. "And if you don't stop screaming like an alley cat, I will have to gag you. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Belle whispered, almost inaudibly. She tried to fight the tears. This woman was probably more dangerous than she ever imagined Gaston to be.

"My sweet, beautiful Belle," Gaston said comfortingly as he knelt down next to the chair. "Come on, sweetie, give me a smile."

Belle's eyes burned with hatred. She could hardly look at the man, let alone smile at him. She tried to ignore him. She didn't react till he touched her cheek to wipe away a tear. Then she glared at him and snapped, "Why couldn't you have left me alone?"

Gaston grinned. "You know very well, sweetie, that I couldn't." He let his fingers trail over her neck and her collarbone. "You are all mine," he said, almost to himself.

Belle closed her eyes wearily. "What do you want from me?"

"Marry me, Belle!"

Belle's eyes snapped open. "I won't! I'll never marry you!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Face it, Belle: I'm the only one who can get you out of here," Gaston said with a self-satisfied and arrogant expression. He stood up and bent over her, his face only inches from hers. His cheek brushed against hers. She felt the stubble on his cheek. He kissed her cheek lightly, then moved from her earlobe via her jaw line towards her mouth.

"Think about it, Belle. I can make you popular. I can make you respected throughout the village and beyond," he whispered. "As my wife, everyone will look up to you. You will be provided for. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life." He pulled back and smiled at her. "What do you say, Belle?"

The rest of your life… She gave Gaston a cold stare. "Not even if you were the last man on this entire earth."

"Suit yourself." Gaston turned away from her. "Do whatever you need to do with her," he said to the woman.

_Oh my… what have I done! _Belle thought in shock. For a moment she had forgotten that she was in the asylum. The only thought in her mind was not marrying Gaston. But he was the one who had ordered Monsieur d'Arque to bring her here. They would never listen to her. Only to him.

"Better start right away." The woman pulled the bell cord and not a moment later another woman entered the room. This one was plump and short, almost as broad as she was tall. She was dressed in a workhouse uniform.

"You rang, Madame?"

"This is our new inmate. Take her to the cleaning room."

The new woman removed the belts. Belle was too afraid to move. All she could do was stare at the marks the belts had left on her wrists.

"Come on, girl, let's go," the short woman said as she took Belle's arm and pulled her up.

This was not going well. Belle was starting to get desperate. She was all alone. They could do anything to her, and no one would ever know. Where was her father? Did he know she was here? She first had to get herself out of this awful situation, before she could look for her father.

She didn't look where she was going. The woman almost had to drag her into the right direction. The woman opened a door and there was a staircase going down.

"Go ahead, don't be scared." When she didn't move, the woman gave her a little push. "Come on, I don't have all day."

There was hardly any light. The only faint illumination came from the candles in the room at the bottom of the staircase. Carefully Belle climbed down the stairs, holding her hands against the wall. The stones of the wall were cold and clammy.

She entered the room. The walls were completely covered with white tiles. Or at least, they had been white once. Against one wall, there were a few shelves. They were stacked with towels, brushes, sheets. There was a water pump with a bucket under it. And on the other side of the room, the wall was also covered with tiles and a gutter.

Only one look at this room was enough to make Belle suspect what was going to happen to her. She swallowed and waited for the woman to speak, hoping she was wrong. She needed a plan. She needed to do something to get out of here. She couldn't let her fears take control of her. She was gradually getting some of her strength back. That was good. If she couldn't put up a fight, they could do whatever they wanted. If they thought of her as a prey, they would treat her like that. They would eat her alive.

"Take off your clothes and stand against that wall." The woman pointed towards the wall with the gutter.

"Why should I?" Belle asked, pretending not to know.

"In here, you do as you are told," was the simple answer from the woman.

Belle shook her head and crossed her arms. "I'm not doing anything till you tell me why." The woman ignored her, which was not a good sign. "I will scream if you hurt me!"

The meaningless threat made no big impression on the woman. She only smirked. "Be my guest, girl. I don't care if you scream or kick or bite your tongue off." She went back to the water pump and started to fill a bucket. "We like silence here."

For another minute Belle stood still, pondering her options. No one in here would listen to her. Was there any way to get out of here? She might be able to reach the door before this woman could do anything to her. But what would happen after that? She had no idea where in the asylum she was, or where her father was, or how to get out of here and back to the village.

The other problem was that things would probably get worse if she didn't play along. She had to keep in mind that the people around here were dangerous.

She sighed. Slowly she started to undo the knot of her apron. She wondered what would be better: take it slow and get used to the feeling, or do it quickly and get it over with. Who was she kidding, even thinking about it. Getting the worst over with was always better. She kicked off her shoes and took off her stockings. And then her dress. That was it.

"All of it," was the woman's comment.

Belle opened her mouth to protest. She had to take everything off? Of course they would. She took a deep breath and tried not to think. She took off her undergarments. There. She was now all exposed. She tried to cover her body with her arms as much as possible. She had never felt more vulnerable in her life. Maybe there was a reason this had all happened…or maybe it was a nightmare from which she had to wake up.

"Stand against the wall." The woman gave Belle a good once-over. "You're very clean," she remarked simply.

"Of course I am!" Belle said, offended.

"No need to act so haughty, girl. You're not much different from the other girls that I've seen come through here."

Belle swallowed and closed her eyes, preparing herself for what was about to come. A split second later she was suddenly drenched in ice cold water. She wanted to look unfazed by everything that happened, but the water was so cold! She couldn't help it, she had to scream. If the people here didn't kill her, she would freeze to death! The freezing water felt like someone was stabbing sharp needles into her. She felt the prickly brush roughly going over her skin. It felt as though the woman was trying to scrub away whatever they thought was wrong with her.

She tried to think of pleasant thoughts as she suffered through these humiliations. All her pleasant memories were with the Beast in his castle. The afternoon they had spent in the snow and reading in the library afterwards. The sweet conversation they had had that day.

All of a sudden the brushing stopped. Belle opened her eyes. The woman threw a towel at her. It was so incredibly shredded you could hardly call it a towel anymore. Belle tried to get herself as dry as possible. She looked around as she put on her undergarments, but her blue dress was gone. Where was it? They couldn't expect her to walk around in her underwear, could they?

The woman opened a closet and took out a plain brown dress and laid it down on the table. "Put this on."

"I want my own dress!"

"In here, you don't own anything," the woman said, rolling her eyes.

Belle took the dress from the table. It smelt awful, and she could only imagine how old this dress was. She tried not to think how many women had worn this before her, or what had happened to them. She rubbed her arms to get warm again. She felt numb and miserable.

"Undo your hair," the woman said. "Let's have a look at your hair."

Belle quietly did was she was asked and gave the ribbon to the woman.

"No lice," the woman commented as she went through Belle's hair with the comb. Not paying attention to the hair knots.

_I could have told you that,_ Belle thought as she rubbed her head. _What's next? _

The door opened and Monsieur d'Arque and Gaston were standing in the opening, smiling slightly. "How is it going in here?" Gaston asked.

"She's all done," the woman answered.

"What do you think, Gaston?" Monsieur d'Arque said.

Belle lowered her eyes. she didn't feel very confident anymore. Even though she didn't care for the opinion of the people in the room, she did feel slightly embarrassed with her hair down like this, And the ugly brown dress.

" Much better." Gaston grinned as he circled around Belle like a predator. His look sent a shiver down her spine.

"Mademoiselle de la Vallière, you are now officially registered into our institution," Monsieur d'Arque explained. "I advise you to do as you are told and concentrate on getting better."

Belle nodded, not really hearing what the man was saying to her. She was tired after everything that had happened. She wanted to go to her own bed, in her own room, in her own house. Or the gigantic four-poster bed in the castle, with the warm, soft blankets.

* * *

Belle walked between the two men through several hallways and down flights of stairs. She started to shiver. It was colder down here than it had been upstairs. And this dress was much thinner than her own blue one.

She straightened her shoulders and held her head high. She couldn't let them know her discomfort or the cold of this dress or whatever was going on. No matter what they tried, she would not let them break her spirit. She couldn't let them. No matter how much they hurt her, she would live through this. And as soon as she had the opportunity, she would look for her father, and then a way out of here.

Gaston might think that he was the most powerful man in the village, but he wouldn't be able to get away with everything. She wasn't a girl who was thirsty for revenge, but if someone took it out on her father, they would have to deal with her.

Unexpectedly, Monsieur d'Arque stopped. They were standing in front of a big door in the catacombs of the asylum. "Okay. Listen and listen good," he said warningly.

Belle didn't look at him and didn't react. They were just trying to scare her. She wouldn't listen.

"Look at me. This is important!"

She looked up to him and gave him a fake smile. "Yes, Monsieur d'Arque?"

"We're going to walk through the place where we treat the patients. Whatever you do, don't talk to any of the inmates or make eye contact with them.."

_That is a very specific instruction_, she thought. What could happen when you made eye contact with another human being? She narrowed her eyes and glanced at Monsieur d'Arque. "Why not?"

"You don't want to find out," he said as he opened the door. "Do you understand me?"

She looked at Gaston, who smirked at her as though he would love to see her disobey Monsieur d'Arque. That was just like him. "Yes, I do," she said carefully.

They walked through a large hall. To her horror, it was filled with what appeared to be torture devices. It was horrible to see. There were only men in this hall. _This is where they treat the inmates_, she thought in shock. The asylum was far worse than she had ever imagined.

Some of the men were locked up in cages not much bigger than the men themselves. Others were just chained to the floor or to the wall. She didn't want to look around, she didn't want to see what was going on in here. She didn't want to hear the pitiful sounds of the inmates. But Gaston made her look. He was walking right behind her. He held his hand at the back of her neck, forcing her to look. Her mouth fell open when she saw what was right in front of her. It was one of the most terrifying images she had ever seen.

There was a basin filled with water. On the edge there was a chair attached. In the chair there was a man, chained by his wrists and his ankles. With some sort of device the wardens rotated the chair, letting the man fall backwards into the basin. They held him there under water for at least half a minute as he struggled frantically, chained and helpless. When they pulled him back up he looked nearly drowned.

She placed her hand over her mouth in shock. Gaston loosened his grip on her not a moment too soon. She had to turn away from this scene.

As she turned her head, she brushed against Gaston's chest. He put his arm around her comfortingly. He tenderly caressed her hair. He whispered soft words she couldn't hear. She looked up to him. And he smiled. He smiled! How could he smile at her in a place like this!

"Don't look so frightened, girl. We don't treat the women here. Only the men," Monsieur d'Arque clarified with a sick grin on his face.

_The men… Papa! _If there was one place in this entire madhouse where he would be, it would be here. Neither Gaston nor Monsieur d'Arque would hesitate to treat her father here! "Tell me where my father is! Is he here?" she demanded. Neither one of the men responded to her. She pushed Gaston away and shouted. "WHERE. IS. MY. FATHER?"

"What did I tell you!" Monsieur d'Arque hissed. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her aggressively towards the door. "Lower your voice! Cast down your eyes!"

But it was too late. The man in the chair had seen Belle and started yelling. "WOMAN! WOMAN!"

Even though the man was chained, it took all the strength of the warden to keep him in his chair. After that, all the other men started to shout as well. "WOMAN!"

"Monsieur! Take that girl out of here!" one of the wardens yelled. "This is going to be hell!"

Belle didn't know where to look. Everywhere in the hall men were shouting, screaming. The men in cages were jumping up and down or rattling against the bars. The sound was too much to bear. This place was horrible. Just horrible.

Once they were outside again, Gaston put his arm around Belle's shoulder. "I think Belle has seen enough for one day, Paul," he said.

Her nod was as good as unnoticeable. She had to get away from here.

* * *

Not much later she was standing in a small, dark room. There was a fire burning in the fireplace, but the screen in front of it was so thick, she could hardly see the light or feel the heat. The only other light came from two lanterns hanging from the ceiling. There was a window through which she could see the moon. But the opening was too high and too small to get through. The room contained only a bed, a table and a chair.

"You will be happy to know that Monsieur Gaston here is willing to pay for a private room for you," Monsieur d'Arque said.

"My room?" They were really locking her up in here! Once in the Maison des Lunes, no one ever came out!

"You can show your gratitude to your benefactor," Monsieur d'Arque continued.

"Gratitude? For locking me and my father away?" Incongruously, she laughed. _This was insane! This whole situation was insane! _

Gaston sighed in annoyance, "Paul, do something. This girl really has to learn her place in life."

Monsieur d'Arque shrugged. He quickly grabbed Belle's arm, twisted it behind her back and pushed her down on her knees. His other hand was holding her neck, pushing her even more down.

"OUCH!" Belle screamed. Tears started to flow. "Please, monsieur, you're hurting me!"

"First you will show us you are a good girl and thank the kind man for taking care of you," Monsieur d'Arque said to Belle. He twisted her arm a bit further. "Come on, girl. We haven't got all day."

The pain was excruciating. There was no way out other than to do what they said. It was better to just do what she was told. "Thank you," she said in a voice no louder than a whisper.

"Full sentences, mademoiselle." Monsieur d'Arque sharply twisted her arm as far as he could, making her scream. "Full sentences."

More tears came to her eyes. She had no choice. She felt her arm would break if she didn't say the right thing. Monsieur d'Arque would do it. She knew it. She had to obey. There was only one way out of here. Her voice trembled: "I thank you, Gaston, for taking such good care of me."

"That's better," Monsieur d'Arque said as he let go of her. "Keep up the good work and you will be out of here in no time."

"It's nothing, Belle." Gaston smiled as he held out his hand to help her up. "I will always take care of you."

Belle looked at the hand with hatred. She would never accept it. She just couldn't. She would rather stay on this cold stone floor than to accept him.

"Come, Gaston, let's leave our guest alone. She has a lot to think about."

Gaston smirked as he looked down at her. "Remember this, Belle: you've brought this on yourself."

* * *

A/n: Thanks Trudi, for editing this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The door closed and the door was locked. Within seconds Belle had seen every inch of her cell. They had called it "luxurious," but to her it was a prison, nothing more, nothing less. She felt like the walls were closing in on her.

"GASTON! You will pay for this!" she screamed angrily. She banged her fists loudly on the door. He didn't react, but he was still out there. She was sure of that. He couldn't leave her here. She had done nothing wrong! Except hurt his stupid pride. "Gaston! Let me out!"

"Listen to that, Paul," Gaston said with an amused smile. He was leaning against Belle's cell door, enjoying the sound and vibration of her desperate banging. "Music to my ears."

"Rather loud music," Monsieur d'Arque replied calmly.

"Mark my words, " Gaston said with a smile. He looked at the door, feeling very pleased with himself. "She may be screaming at me now, but within a few days, she will be begging to become my wife."

"Do you want to wait for that day in here?"

Gaston shook his head. Although it would have been entertaining to listen to Belle exhaust herself and finally give in to her fate, he wanted to go hunting in the morning. "No, I'll go back to the village. I'll visit her tomorrow afternoon."

"Let's have a drink before you leave."

"GASTON!" Belle shouted. He could hear her! He hadn't left! He had to get her out of here, he just had to! It wasn't fair!

Then she heard a scraping sound from the door.

_Whew…._ Belle sighed and felt a wave of solace come over her. _Thank you, Lord… _she thought in relief. Gaston wasn't going to let her stay in here all night. It had been all a joke - a cruel one, but still a joke. He wanted to teach her a lesson. He wanted to scare her. And she had to admit that he had succeeded. She had been scared to death when he showed her the treatments the inmates received. But he would never harm her.

She would apologize to Gaston for everything she had said. It galled her, but it was a small price to pay for her freedom. And then they all could go home again. In future, she would pay more attention to what she said to Gaston. Maybe she could make it clear to him in a quiet conversation that they would never marry, but maybe in the future, they would be able to understand each other better.

She closed her eyes and sighed. She waited for the door to open.

"What did Madame Beaumont tell you about screaming alley cats?"

With a shock Belle opened her eyes. The door wasn't open. All that was open was the observation window in the door. Monsieur d'Arque's face was partially shown. "Mademoiselle?" he repeated.

Belle backed away and sat down on the bed. "She gags them," she said, looking at the floor. It had all been for nothing, she realized in dismay. They were going to keep her here after all!

"Quite right. You are a clever girl."

Monsieur d'Arque disappeared and Gaston's face appeared. "Belle…" he said sympathetically.

Belle looked up and ran to the door. "Gaston! Get me out of here!" She reached her arm through the observation window, hoping that Gaston would change his mind. She touched his cheek with the tips of her fingers.

Gaston had to restrain himself not to propose to Belle again. He took her hand and gently kissed it. "Belle, this hurts me more than it hurts you."

"Gaston, please…"

He pushed her hand back and gave her one last smile. "We'll see each other soon, Belle." He closed the window.

"Gaston?" Belle said more softly. " Gaston?" She heard his footsteps. They were walking away. He was leaving her here. She was alone. There was no way out. The door was too thick and strong to break down. The window was too high to climb out.

She lay down on the bed. It was hard and uncomfortable. The single blanket was so small it hardly covered her. Not to mention that the blanket was extremely thin. And this was not a warm winter. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, hoping that tomorrow things would look better.

* * *

A few floors above Belle's cell, Paul d'Arque and Gaston entered the office. "This was quite a night, Gaston."

"And it all went according to plan." Gaston sat down in one of the chairs next to the fireplace and placed his feet on the table. He leaned back and mused over everything that had happened that night.

Bringing Belle here had been a brilliant plan. If she had accepted his marriage proposal right away, it would have taken him a lot of time and effort to turn her into the perfect wife. But now, the people here would do it for him. They would help her to get rid of that bad habit of reading, to focus on the important things in life. Mainly him. What it meant to be a woman, to be a wife. His wife.

Paul poured them both a glass of brandy. "What do you want me to do with Maurice?"

Oh yes, Maurice. His future father-in-law. Gaston had almost forgotten about him. It was a pity that he couldn't keep him in here forever. But no matter how much he trained Belle, she would never give up her father.

"For now, he has to stay here where we can control him," Gaston decided. "We can't have him roaming around the village telling everything about a beast in a castle." He looked at the brandy in the glass and finished it at a single gulp. It felt good. The taste of victory. "But treat him well. We might need him later."

"Maurice is harmless." Paul refilled Gaston's glass.

"He ruined Belle," Gaston disagreed. That was not very harmless. "She needs to be re-educated."

"And how are you going to do that?"

Gaston took his money bag from his belt and handed it over to his friend. "You are going to do it for me," he said with a wicked grin.

Paul took one of the coins out of the bag. The bag was just as big as the one Gaston had previously offered him to lock up Maurice. He had already taken that. "You want me to treat her?" he said with a sadistic sparkle in his eyes.

"No, I need something a little more subtle for Belle."

"Since when do you do subtlety?" Paul laughed.

"If I chase Belle, she'll run away like a deer," Gaston continued, ignoring his friend. He drank the brandy and held out his glass again. "But if I stand still, she will come to me and eat out of my hand."

"What a poetic metaphor," Paul observed sarcastically.

It would be perfect. If Gaston kept insisting that Belle marry him, she would stubbornly dig her heels in like a mule. She didn't like to be ordered. But if someone _else_ suggested to Belle that she had made a big mistake by refusing him, she would think that it was all her _own_ idea to change her mind - that she had come to her senses herself. With Belle, he needed to be more cunning than with other girls. _In here she will learn not to bite the hand that feeds her, _he thought_._

"It shouldn't take long, maybe two or three days," Gaston predicted. "Just now she was almost ready."

"And…" Paul started. "What about that beast?"

"What beast?" Gaston didn't understand what Paul was talking about. Then it hit him, and he rolled his eyes. That was not something he wanted to think about. Not when he had Belle almost where he wanted her. "Oh that," he said with a shrug. "A lunatic's delusion. Nothing more."

"You're calling your future wife a lunatic?" Paul said, surprised, as he sat down.

"No!" Gaston said, offended. He put his glass on the table and leaned in. "Maurice is the lunatic! Belle is the loving daughter, believing everything her father says. Not seeing how severe his case really is. Not seeing that she's not helping him by supporting his delusions."

"Like a beast in a castle?"

"Exactly. I mean, what castle? Where?" Gaston spread his arms widely. There were no castles in the area. Maurice was insane. A beast in a castle!

"Well, there _is_ one castle in the vicinity," Paul said, pointing out of the window. "Old and abandoned, but still a castle."

Gaston stood up and looked at the shadows of the castle on top of the hill. If Maurice was talking about _that_ castle, he was even more crazy than Gaston had thought. That castle had been abandoned for years! For as long as Gaston could remember, that castle had been empty. No one had ever seen a living soul on the other side of the castle gates. Nobody ever went in… And nobody ever came out.

"You'd have to be crazy to go even near those ruins! Every 5-year old in the village knows that!" Gaston turned back to his friend and counted the reasons why on his fingers. "There's that large pack of wolves that always hangs around there. Not to mention that the gates are impossible to get through. I tried it myself when I was 12."

"She has read too many fairytales. She believes everything!" Paul chuckled. "A beast in a castle! Next she will start talking about enchanted furniture."

"We have to get her back to reality," Gaston emphasized. "And the only reality Belle has to know is that her place in life is by my side as my wife."

* * *

Halfway through the night Belle was unexpectedly awoken by a loud scream. She sat up straight and tried to detect where the sound was coming from. It was not coming from outside; it came from inside the asylum.

She wrapped the blanket around herself and walked to the door. The screaming continued. It was coming from the other side of the door, and it was a woman. She was screaming her lungs out. The sound scared Belle to death. She covered her ears, but the screaming went right through to her soul. It sounded like someone was being tortured. It was terrifying.

But what if it was something worse? What if the entire asylum was on fire? And she was locked in! Maybe they had forgotten about her!

She started banging on her door, hoping someone was still out there to hear her. "Let me out!" she screamed. "Help! Can anyone hear me?"

The screaming outside went on and on. Nobody seemed to realize that there was someone else in here. What if they had all run out already? What if they had left her here on purpose?

Then all of a sudden she heard another sound. It sounded like… laughter? It sounded more like a giggle.

The observation window opened and a girl about her age looked at her with broad smile and glistening eyes. She had blonde uncombed hair. "You are new here!" the girl exclaimed excitedly. "Who are you?"

"I'm Belle…" Belle answered, surprised. She was confused. The girl looked happy. Cheerful. It was clear that the asylum wasn't on fire. But what was this girl doing wandering around? And if this girl could… then why couldn't she?

"Hi Belle, I am Stella," the girl started to ramble. "Actually it's Estelle, but everyone calls me Stella. I don't even know how I got that nickname, I think my mother started to call me like that. Or maybe my brother. Could be my uncle."

She was talking so quickly that it was impossible for Belle to ask a question about what in the world was going on out there. Then the girl stopped talking and looked at Belle. "So… how are you doing, Belle?"

_How am I doing? _Belle thought in shock._ How do you think I'm doing? _"What do you mean? Don't you hear those screams?"

"Oh that's nothing," Stella giggled softly. She looked around to see if anyone could hear her. She whispered: "That's Crazy Anne. She always screams when they want to take her to her room."

When Stella moved her head, Belle could see several people in the hallway. Two men were dragging a girl by her upper arms. The girl was kicking and screaming. The sight was awful. Whatever the girl did, the two men didn't seem to care. A nun was walking behind them, also not looking very caring. Stella didn't even seem to hear it. Apparently this was normal around here. Or Stella was even crazier than she looked.

Belle had to get out of here! She might be next! Maybe Stella could help her. Belle wasn't sure how to talk to a girl who was an inmate of the asylum. "Stella, can you open the door for me? I want to get out," she said as casually as possible.

Stella peeked over Belle's shoulder into the cell and got even more excited than she already was. "Wow! You have a fireplace! I don't have a fireplace," she said with a pout.

"Stella? The door?"

"It's really cold tonight," Stella went on. She looked admiringly at the fireplace. "Fire is warm."

"Stella, please listen to me," Belle pleaded. She sighed and tried to stay patient. This girl was not like a normal person, she had to talk to her differently. Maybe she had to make things simpler. "Can you open the door?"

To Belle's relief, Stella came back to earth. "Of course not, silly! I don't have the key!" She laughed insanely, she started to hum: "The key! The key! Give Stella the key!"

"Who does have the key?"

Stella looked back to the hallway and then back to Belle. She almost pushed her face through the observation window. She looked at Belle confidentially. "Sometimes Anne screams for hours and when it goes on for a really long time, they give her this special drink and then it gets quiet!"

Belle gasped. Locking people up, torturing them. And now they also used something to calm them down! "What kind of drink?" she asked breathlessly. Whatever they would ever offer her, she decided immediately not to eat nor drink it.

Before Stella could say anything else, a woman's voice came from the hallway: "Stella! What are you doing over there?"

"Whoops! I'm caught!" Stella giggled. "The party is over, Belle!"

A nun came closer to Belle's cell. She took Stella by her shoulders and turned her around. "Let's get you back to bed. Wandering through the hallways in the middle of the night!" The nun talked to Stella like she was talking to a 10-year-old, which was obviously the only way to talk to Stella.

"Is everything all right with Anne?" Belle said. She wanted to keep the conversation going, to keep in touch with someone. Someone in here must be willing to help her.

"Anne is just running amuck, like usual," the nun explained with a simple shrug. "Mademoiselle, I suggest you go back to sleep. Nothing to see here." With that, the nun closed the window and walked away with Stella.

_The party is over, Belle! The party is over!_

It was true. The party was over. Two tears rolled over Belle's cheek. Her life as she had known it had been turned upside down. Again. Only this time things were different.

It was different from when she was locked in that cell where the Beast had kept her father. From there she was given a truly luxurious room. Her room in the castle had been bigger than the living room back home. She was treated well. They were kind to her.

From that room, her friendship with the servants in the castle had started. For the first time in her life, she felt how it was when people valued your presence, asked for your opinion. Not turning their heads when she walked by, not whispering behind her back. The castle was a completely different world compared to the village.

From there her friendship with the Beast had started. It had been a rough start, but as the days passed, they started to enjoy each other's company. To understand each other.

She smiled through her tears when she thought back to the afternoon they had spent throwing snowballs. There she saw that there was more to him than his terrifying exterior. After the snowball fight, they went into the library to warm up. In front of the fireplace she had read aloud to the Beast one of her favorite stories: the legend of King Arthur.

"_Knowing now, that this was the legendary sword called 'Excalibur,' Arthur tried to pull it from the stone. He tried once to no avail. He tried a second time… but still he could not pull it out," she read out loud. "Then… for the third time, Arthur drew forth the sword-" _

"_So that must mean that he's the king!" the Beast interrupted her in excitement. He pointed at the picture in the book, with Arthur holding Excalibur high above his head. _

_Belle held the book close to her chest, not letting him read along. "Wait and see!" _

_The Beast jumped up and walked through the library. He let out a sigh of happiness. "I never knew books could do that!" _

"_Do what?" she said, pre-occupied. She was already reading the next paragraph of the story._

_It took him a moment before he could continue, as though he was hesitant to share this with her. "Take me away from this place, make me forget for a little while…" He let his last words trail away._

_She looked up and saw how he looked away from her, embarrassed. "Forget what?"_

"_Who I-" he started. She saw him looking at his reflection in a nearby window. He turned back to her and spread his arms helplessly. "What I am."_

_He turned away from her again and walked to the window, where he stared into the darkness. Was he sorry that he had shared such personal feelings with her? Why would he? The thing was, Belle knew exactly what he meant. This was just what books did for her. They took her away from the village, into new worlds, exciting worlds, where it didn't mattered how she acted. _

"_We have something in common, you know," she said to his back. _

_He didn't at look at her. "What is that?" he said, as if such an idea would be impossible. _

"_In the town where I come from, the people think I'm odd."_

_He turned around in surprise. He blinked a few times before he spoke to her. He sat next to her again and looked at her as if she had told him that people would fly to the moon one day. "You?" _

_She nodded. She bit her lower lip before she continued. She had never spoken to someone besides her father about her feelings. "So, I know how it feels to be… different." Without realizing it, she placed her hand on the Beast's paw. "And I know how lonely that can be."_

_With her free hand she turned the page and continued reading aloud. _

"_For the third time, Arthur drew forth the sword, and there arose from the people a great shout." She looked up from the page into the Beast's eyes. She smiled at him. "Arthur is king."_

"_Told you so," the Beast said with a smug smile. _

_They laughed together, then both looked away shyly. Belle suddenly realized where her hand was. She slowly pulled her hand away and looked up at the Beast. She smiled at him, and became aware of how comfortable she felt around him. That she wasn't scared of his appearance anymore. That she could look beyond the claws, the teeth and the fur. That there was more to him than she could ever imagine. _

_She closed the book and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Maybe this was the time to ask him about something she had been thinking for a while now. "May I ask you a personal question?" _

"_Depends on the question," he said, avoiding her look. _

"_What is your name?"_

"_My name?" _

_She saw she had thrown him off guard/ She didn't know what he had expected, but this question was definitely not it. She nodded to encourage him, but all he mumbled was something she couldn't hear. It was short. That was the only thing she could tell. _

"_I'm sorry?" _

"_It's Adam," he said more loudly._

_Adam… now that was something she hadn't expected. But it fit him. "Adam…" she said, letting the name get familiar to her. She looked up and saw Adam watching her with a silly grin on his face. "What?"_

"_No one has used my name for such a long time, I forgot how it was to hear it," he said, smiling at her. He leaned into her and grinned: "Say it again."_

"_Adam," she repeated with a laugh. Suddenly she had an idea." Adam, I would like to ask you for something."_

_He gazed into her eyes. "What's that?"_

"_A second chance," she said, determined. "Would you have dinner with me tonight?"_

"_Dinner? Me? With you?" he had stuttered. "Well, that would be, I mean, oh yes!"_

_Dinner had been wonderful. Everyone in the castle had worked so hard to give them the perfect evening. And perfect it had been. She had enjoyed every minute of it. It had been the first time in her life that she felt truly alive. Alive and loved. There was a connection between the two of them. Between her and Adam. _

Would he know she was here? Maybe he could feel that she was in trouble. That she needed him. She sighed. She knew the answer to that question. The Beast never left the castle grounds. She had never even told him where he lived. How would he know about the Maison des Lunes?

She hoped he was well. Was he thinking of her? She looked up to the window. It was a clear night, and she could see the moon. If he stood on the balcony, he would see the same moon.

A cold wind came from the window. She shivered and rubbed her arms. This dress and the blanket wouldn't keep her warm. She went over to the bed and curled up under the blanket.

As she fell asleep, she thought back to the evening she and Adam had waltzed. She had felt safe in his arms. What she wouldn't give to be back in his arms again! To lean with her head against his chest…

"Oh, Adam," she whispered, "I love you."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Your Grace!" A loud knock on the door followed the excited shout. "Your Grace!"

"Go away, Cogsworth!" Adam grunted sleepily. He hated it when Cogsworth thought it was necessary to wake him. All the days under this spell were the same. Especially now that Belle was gone. He was determined to make this yet another miserable day.

Last night before he went to bed, he had looked at the Rose. The petals had looked so fragile. It was just a matter of days, maybe even hours, before his fate was sealed. Then he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. And he could stay in bed as long as he pleased.

The door opened and by the sound of the footsteps, two men came in. Was it so difficult to leave him alone?

"Your Grace, you must see this!"

"It has happened!" That was Lumière's voice.

_Oh great, they are both here! Do they have to sound so incredibly cheerful? _

"What?" Adam said irritably, with his eyes still closed. If he didn't look up maybe they would leave. Couldn't they take a hint?

"You have to look this way to find out!" Lumière said impatiently.

"All right! Stop nagging!" Adam sat up straight and turned in the direction of the voices. "Now what do you want me- WHOA!" he yelled. His mouth fell open, and instinctively he crawled backwards. He looked right into the mirror Lumière was holding. He couldn't believe what he saw. It was impossible.

"This cannot be…" He touched the glass of the mirror and then felt with his fingers how his face was smooth again! Instead of feeling the familiar fur like other days, all he could feel now was stubble on his cheek!

He looked up at Lumière, who was all smiles and also human again! So was Cogsworth! They were human again too! They were all human again!

Excitedly, Adam threw off the covers and ran to the mirror. There he was! Human! He would never have believed it if he didn't see it with his own eyes! The fur was gone. It was gone! The fangs, everything! He was human again. Fingers, hands, toes, feet. Everything was back to what it was supposed to be.

It took a few minutes before Adam was able to tear away from his reflection. He looked from Cogsworth to Lumière and back to the mirror. It was unbelievable. He had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He wasn't. This was incredible!

All of a sudden something in the corner of his room drew to his attention. The Rose… It bloomed again! Like it had done on the day the curse was placed. Only it wasn't red anymore. It was now made out of pure gold! It sparkled in the sunlight. It looked magnificent. He carefully lifted the glass bell jar from the Rose.

"Your Grace!" Cogsworth warned softy.

Adam didn't hear him. He touched the petals. Nothing happened; the petals didn't fall off. "But how?" he whispered almost inaudible.

Lumière simply shook his head. "Not how. Who."

Belle! The spell would be broken when he had learned to love another and earned her love in return by the time the last petal fell. It was Belle… "I have to go see her!" he exclaimed. He started to run around the room. He didn't know what to do first. "Belle loves me!" He ran into the dressing room next door. "Where are my clothes?" With the same speed he came running back into the bedroom. "Saddle my horse!"

"Your Grace!" Cogsworth begged, running after the prince. "Slow down!"

"I'm not going to slow down, Cogsworth!" Adam yelled. "I've spend years of my life waiting for that one girl, I'm not going to wait anymore! I'm going to get her!" He had to find Belle, he would take her to the castle and they would live happily ever after. She had saved him! She loved him! She would be his bride, his princess!

"You can't go running out like this!" Cogsworth panted, slowing down.

"Watch me!"

Lumière was still standing next to the bed while Cogsworth was practically chasing the prince through the room. He softly coughed. "Your Highness, I hate to interrupt your state of mind, but do you know where Belle lives?"

Adam gasped and stopped in the middle of the room. Lumière was right. He had forgotten about that. He had no idea where exactly Belle had come from. All she had told him that she was from a provincial village near the castle, but not where. He didn't even know a direction in which to look. She had come to the castle on horseback, but never told him how long it took her to travel from the village to the castle. How in the world was he going to find her now?

He sat down on the edge of the bed. "What am I going to do now?"

"She's probably on her way over," Lumière answered quickly, trying to soothe the prince's temper.

"Why isn't she here yet?" Adam yelled impatiently. This was not going well. He had lost Belle, because he had let her go, but he was now human again. He had to find her to at least thank her! She was the love of his life. She had to be here!

"The day has just started," Lumière continued calmly. "Your Highness, we must get you ready before Belle arrives."

"And the servants want to see you," Cogsworth said, carefully placing the bell jar over the golden Rose again. "They are ecstatic with joy."

The servants…Adam had forgotten about them. "Is everyone human again?" he asked.

"Yes, your Grace," Cogsworth said, nodding. "From the chimney sweeps to the kitchen staff, from the stable boys to the chamber maids."

Adam sighed. The spell was truly broken. "Mrs. Potts? Chip?"

"Happy and healthy, your Highness," Cogsworth answered.

"Chip is outside playing with the other children, and Mrs. Potts is preparing breakfast," Lumière added. From a coat stand he took an old dress robe, holding it out to the prince.

"I'll send in the barber for a shave," Cogsworth said as he left the room.

Adam went over to the window and outside he saw Chip together with several children from the castle household playing with a ball. Because of his mistake, they hadn't been able to for a long time. But he would make it up to them. From now on, everything would be different. He would be a better man than he had ever been.

"Your Highness?"

Adam didn't react. He simply couldn't believe that this was actually happening. When he looked outside he felt so relieved that it was all over now. Everything he had wished for, for such a long time, had happened. The nightmare was now finally over. He could start his life all over again. He had gotten a second chance.

"Your Highness?" Lumière tried again.

"Look at them," Adam said happily. "Isn't this wonderful, Lumière?"

"It certainly is," Lumière agreed. He put his hand on the prince' shoulder and slowly pulled him away from the window. "Let's get you dressed, your Highness. Your princess should be here soon."

* * *

Belle had been awake for several hours before someone came to open the door. She didn't move when the door opened. She didn't know if she was expected to leave or if the door was opened so someone else could come in.

"Come out, we haven't got all day," the asylum employee in the doorway said, bored.

"Belle!" Stella ran into the cell and took Belle's hand, dragging her into the corridors. "We have to hurry!"

"Where are we going?" Belle asked as she ran after Stella.

"Having breakfast! I'm starved!"

Belle hadn't realized it, but she was incredibly hungry. The last time she had eaten something was yesterday's supper. She felt like she could eat a horse.

"Let's go, Belle!"

After what seemed like hours of walking through endless corridors, they finally stopped at a big door.

"Here we are," Stella said. "This is the West Wing. This is where we spend our days."

Stella opened the door and immediately Belle wanted to cover her ears. The sound in this room was more than anyone could stand for a long time. The large room was completely empty, besides a few chairs and a few tables. The only light in the room came from the windows at the top of the walls. At the other end of the room, there was a little platform with a table on it. On the wall above it hang a huge sign: "God Sees Everything".

There were only women in this room. A dozen, maybe more. But the sound they made together was loud enough for an entire army. Most of them seemed to be screaming just to scream. Only one or two were sitting quietly in a corner, staring into space. The others were too busy shouting and running around. They all seemed so angry. Belle looked at them in horror. Would she spend her days here among these awful women? She was not crazy, but chances were high that, after a while in here, she would end up that way.

An old woman walked over to them. "Who is that with you, Stella?"

"That's Belle! She's my friend," Stella said proudly. She was still holding Belle's hand. "You are my friend, right? Tell me I'm your friend."

"I'm your friend," Belle answered wearily. This would be a long day.

A heavy church bell rang. Immediately everyone in the room went silent. A side door opened and two male servants carried in a huge cauldron, the vapors coming off. It wasn't the most delicious thing Belle had ever smelt. Quite the contrary.

All the women quickly formed a line and one by one, they climbed the little platform. Slowly they walked by the cauldron, where a stout woman handed out porridge. No one in the room spoke, except the servants.

"Stay in line," a female servant said as she walked past Belle.

Then Belle arrived at the table. She took a bowl from the pile and waited for her share. When she got to the cauldron, the woman with the ladle didn't move.

"And what have we got here?" she said with a contemptuous look at Belle.

_I'm not a what. I'm a who_, Belle thought grimly.

Another servant girl stepped forward, "New girl, Madame, brought in last night."

"What for?"

"Hallucinations. Claims she was imprisoned by a beast in a castle."

Caught by surprise, the woman looked back from Belle to the girl. "You don't say."

"Heard it from Madame Beaumont myself."

"All we need, another Crazy Anne," the woman said, rolling her eyes. "A beast in a castle?"

"Yes, Madame," the servant girl continued her story. "I overheard Madame Beaumont tell the cook that she heard from Monsieur d'Arque, who is a good friend of the girl's fiancé, that all the time she claims to be imprisoned she was actually just at home."

"At home? Doing what?"

"They say, Madame…" The girl paused and quickly glanced at Belle. "She was reading."

The woman started to laugh. "No wonder she got crazy."

Belle held her head high and waited. She knew that if she said or asked anything, things would get worse. She was used to gossip. They always talked about her. It was no different from the village. The only difference was that here, they didn't bother to do it behind her back.

"Look at her, her nose in the sky like she is the queen herself!" the girl snickered.

The woman looked down on Belle as she ladled the porridge into the bowl. "We'll have to teach her a thing or two."

Belle stepped down from the platform and tried to look as though the women's remarks didn't bother her. When she looked around, she saw Stella sitting at a table nearby. As she sat down, she looked in the bowl. The porridge looked awful. There was no sugar or syrup on the tables. But it was probably the only food she would get here this morning. She took her spoon and stirred the porridge.

"No! Don't!" Stella whispered. "Not yet."

"What are we waiting for?" Belle whispered back. She looked around the table. All the women were silent, with their hands folded on their laps. Everyone was looking down.

"Monsieur d'Arque!"

"Quiet at the table!" the stout woman shouted from the platform.

Why did they have to wait for Monsieur d'Arque? Belle pondered. It was not likely that he would have breakfast with them. It was best for everyone if they finished breakfast as soon as possible.

When everyone was seated, the side door opened and in came Monsieur d'Arque. Belle had the feeling that he was looking at her for a brief moment. He climbed the platform and stood next to the servants.

In a deep serious voice, Monsieur d'Arque spoke: "O Lord, we thank Thee for our daily bread. May it strengthen and refresh our bodies! And we pray Thee, nourish our souls with Thy heavenly grace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen."

"Amen," the rest of the people in the room echoed.

"Wait for it," Stella whispered when Belle lifted her hands above the table to get her spoon. Everyone kept staring at Monsieur d'Arque. Then he nodded and everyone started to eat.

Was that it? That was what they had to wait for? A nod? That was the permission to get to eat in this place?

Belle took her spoon and started her breakfast. The porridge tasted even worse than it looked. It took a lot of effort to swallow this substance. It was thick and lumpy and had definitely cooked for hours. She wasn't much of a cook herself, but she would be ashamed to ever serve something like this to others. She forced herself to eat. She would need all her strength in this place. If she didn't eat, she wouldn't survive.

"Where are we going now?" Belle followed Stella, who stood up and picked up her bowl.

"Outside!" Stella said happily.

Outside there was a courtyard. It wasn't very big, but there was grass, several trees, and even a few flower beds. It wasn't that bad actually. It wasn't as depressing as the rest of this building, And here they could walk around freely.

Belle and Stella sat down on a little bench under an old tree. Belle looked at the other women. Most of them looked normal. Also Stella didn't seem as insane as she had last night. Everyone seemed happy to be in the open air. The shouting had stopped.

"Were you really in a castle?" Stella asked suddenly.

Belle hesitated, unsure whether or not to tell Stella what had happened in the castle. Well… why not? She was already locked in here. Who knew - Stella might believe it. And Belle felt the need to talk about Adam. She nodded.

The nod was a sign for Stella to started rambling again. "How was it there? How did it look? Was it bigger than this house?"

"Much bigger," Belle answered, thinking back to the first time Cogsworth and Lumière had shown her around the castle. It was enormous. "It had hundreds of rooms and staircases and hallways. Dining rooms, sitting rooms, the biggest kitchen you could ever imagine. A library."

Stella gave Belle a confused look. "A library?"

Belle didn't notice it. Enthusiastically she went on, "I had never seen so many books in my life! The bookcases went all the way up to the ceiling! You needed a ladder to get to the highest shelves."

"You… read?"

"Yes," Belle said, coming back to earth. For a moment she had forgotten that she was now back in the world where people thought it was strange for women to read. That problem hadn't existed in the castle. Adam understood her passion for reading. She sighed and looked at Stella. She had had this discussion so many times. One more time wouldn't hurt her. "Is there anything wrong with reading?"

Stella looked at her as if she didn't understand the question. "Why would a woman need to read?"

"To entertain myself, of course!" Belle exclaimed as she looked at the sky longingly. She saw several birds flying over the walls of the asylum. The birds were free. She wasn't. "To take me away to worlds I have never seen. To take me away from this provincial life."

"I don't understand," Stella said. "Why would you read about things that aren't happening, that are made up?"

"To dream," Belle said. _To escape_, she added in her mind. Her books had made it able for her to survive in a village that had nothing to offer her besides being the center of gossip. Or was it the other way around? People gossiped about her because she liked to read…which only made her read even more.

Stella interrupted her thoughts. "And was there really a beast?"

"Yes, his name is Adam. He looks ferocious, but that's only the outside. On the inside he is kind and gentle."

"A kind and gentle beast? That's crazy!" Stella started to giggle insanely. "And his name is Adam? Belle, you are so funny!"

Belle sighed. "I know it sounds hard to believe, but he listens to what I say and understands me. He is a noble man, who-"

Stella let herself fall backwards onto the grass and kept laughing. "A noble man trapped in a beast's form! A beast in a castle! Unbelievable!"

"If only I had the mirror, I could prove it to you," Belle thought out loud.

"A mirror?" Stella stopped laughing and crawled up. "Why would you need a mirror?

"It can show you whatever you want," Belle explained. "It's magic."

Stella wiped some sand of her skirt and skipped away to some of the other women who were talking. "I think you have read too many stories, Belle!"

Belle sighed. Without the mirror, and being trapped in the Maison des Lunes, there wasn't any way to prove that everything she said was true. She realized that it was hard to believe, and that it sounded like a story from one of her books. But that didn't mean that it couldn't be true. What she had experienced with the Beast had been real. Adam was real. The castle was there. The household…

Belle suddenly went cold as a horrifying thought crept into her mind. _What if…what if it WASN'T real? What if I am losing my mind? _she thought in shock. Could it be true? Could it all have been just a delusion, a vivid dream, something her own mind had conjured up in her desperate need to escape her unhappy life? _No, wait, don't go there! That's what they want you to think! _

A little voice in the back of her head whispered something she didn't want to hear. _Be realistic: If an insane girl like Stella doesn't believe you, who will?_

Belle pushed away the thought. She had to stay focused, to keep her mind on the truth. No matter what they told her, she knew what really happened.

Without realizing it, she started softly repeating everything that had happened between her and Adam. "Papa was imprisoned. I offered to change places," she whispered to herself.

"The first sign of a crazy person: talking to herself," the servant girl said to another servant.

* * *

Gaston came back from hunting that morning, still on top of the world. By now Belle was probably realizing that she had made a gigantic mistake. His patience wouldn't be tested too long. Belle was a smart girl; she would see what was best for her.

He walked purposefully through the village. There was one little thing he had to do before he could go see Belle today. "Hello, Henri," he said as he entered the smithy. "Did Lefou bring something to you last night?"

"Yes, he said it belonged to you," the silversmith said, nodding. He went over to a cupboard and took a package out of one of the drawers. "A gorgeous piece of art, more detailed than I have ever seen. Shame that the glass is broken."

"Can you replace it?"

"That mirror is pretty valuable. The frame is pure silver," Henri looked from the mirror back to Gaston. "It takes time to replace the glass without damaging the frame."

"I understand," Gaston said. He had known the silversmith for a long time now and knew exactly what he meant. He reached to the money bag on his belt. "How much do you want?"

Henri kept his greedy little eyes on the bag. "Oh, a few francs for the glass. And the rest of the bag for my effort." He reached out to the bag, but Gaston was quicker. He stepped back, letting Henri grab into the air.

"I'll give you three francs for the glass now," Gaston took out the coins and let the first one fall on the ground in front of Henri's feet. "If you do your job right, we can discuss the rest."

Henri didn't move, but his upper lip twitched. "Three francs is not much."

Gaston ignored Henri's last statement and dropped the last two coins in the sand. "You'd better do as I say, or I'll tell your wife about how you lost a week's income in one craps game."

Henri narrowed his eyes and glared at Gaston. "You wouldn't," he said slowly.

Unexpectedly, Gaston grabbed Henri by his collar and pulled him up close. The silversmith's feet hardly touched the ground. Gaston wasn't in the mood for any games. "Fix that mirror and do it fast," he hissed through his teeth.

"Yes, Gaston," Henri said hastily.

"Good." Gaston smiled pleasantly, releasing the man, and started to leave the smithy. "I'll come back for the mirror within a few days."

"A few days! Gaston, you can't be serious!"

"Do I make myself clear?"

Henri knelt down to pick up the coins from the sand. "Yes, Gaston," he said with his eyes cast down.

Gaston put his foot on Henri's hand as he was about to pick up the last coin. "And if there's even a chip missing from the silver, you'll be in more serious trouble than marital issues."

* * *

Adam was standing in his dressing room, surrounded by a pile of old clothes. Lumière was somewhere hidden in a closet, looking for something that would still fit the prince. There wasn't much left. Most of the clothes from the olden days were eaten by moths or he had outgrown them.

"Do you think Belle will know what I look like, Lumière? Will she recognize me?" Adam asked as he tried on an old white shirt and black pants. He sighed when he looked at his own reflection. He didn't look at all like the Beast anymore, which was wonderful, but could present its own problems if Belle didn't recognize him as the person she loved. He ran his hand through his hair. "I mean, she has never seen me like this."

"I'm sure she will know, your Highness," Lumière said encouragingly. He helped the prince into a dress coat, which seemed to fit. He took out a clothes brush and wiped away the dust on the coat. "I'm sure she will approve of the new you."

"I hope she takes it well," Adam chuckled. Belle had learned to love him as a beast; would she love him as a human? Of course she would. How he looked now had to be better than how he had looked as a beast. She loved him for who he was, not for how he looked. Not for his status. That was why he was human again. They had never spoken about him being royalty. It didn't matter. Would it matter now? Every girl dreamed about becoming a princess. Only tiny detail: Belle wasn't every girl.

They had a lot to talk about.

"And besides," Lumière continued, "she is a smart girl. She has the magic mirror. I would not be surprised if she has already taken a peek at your new exterior."

Adam let out another sigh and gave himself another look in the mirror. He had been lucky; it had been a close call. Without Belle he would be lost. It could be a matter of hours or minutes before she would be back in the castle. He was starting to get nervous.

He wished he had the magic mirror himself. It would have been easier if he could see Belle before she actually arrived. To see her face, would she be smiling when she came through the castle gates? She would be smiling. She loved him. That's all that mattered. He loved her and she loved him.


	5. Chapter 5

The morning turned into the afternoon. Two o'clock, three o'clock, four o'clock… The hours passed, one after the other, and still no sign of Belle. Adam was getting impatient. He had wished for this day to happen for such a long time, but now that it was here, it was completely different from what he had imagined.

Lumière was doing his best to distract him with other things. They walked through the castle, seeing in astonishment that it had been transformed back to its original state. The darkness was gone. All the gargoyles had turned back into cherubs again. There was plenty for them to admire. And then there were all the servants who wanted to speak to Adam. They wanted to celebrate. But he couldn't focus on a celebration. Not without Belle.

It was the middle of the winter and at six o'clock it was already dark outside. Adam was now in the library. This was Belle's favorite place in the castle, and therefore it was the best place to be at this moment. Only he wasn't able to sit down quietly with a book and wait for her. He was pacing agitatedly from one wall to the other, trying to think of a good reason why Belle hadn't shown up yet. He couldn't come up with one.

"Your highness, the cook has made something special for tonight's dinner," Mrs. Potts said carefully.

"No one in this entire castle is going to eat!" Adam said grimly. He saw the looks Lumière and Mrs. Potts were giving each other. "Not till Belle gets home," he added with a sigh.

Not till Belle gets home. This was her home. She had to come back here. She just had to!

Slowly a terrifying thought came to Adam's mind. Belle should have been here hours ago. She couldn't live THAT far away. Something was not right here. It became clearer to him with every minute that passed. Something was wrong. What if she had gotten lost on her way back to the castle? The forest was large and every tree looked like all the others. What if she wasn't able to find her father?

_No, wait!_ Belle had the magic mirror; of course she would be able to find her way to her father and back to the castle! But then…why wasn't she here yet!

There was a knock at the door.

_There she is!_ "Finally!" Adam exclaimed, relieved. He jumped up and ran to the foyer. Cogsworth was already there, ready to open the door.

"Your highness, what are you doing here?" Cogsworth said in surprise. "Why don't you go back to the library, where it's nice and warm?"

"No, Cogsworth, let me be the one to greet her!" Enthusiastically, Adam grabbed the door knockers and opened the door. This was it! His beloved was coming home. Now his life was finally going to begin! And he would do it better this time. With Belle as his princess, he could make _everything_ better!

Only, the person outside in the dark was not Belle. On the steps of the castle was an old beggar woman.

Adam gasped. Immediately he went back in time to the last time a beggar woman came to his doorstep. His first instinct was to close the door. But he knew he couldn't do that. His breath sped up. He felt the cold wind go directly into his bones. He had to swallow before he was able to speak. "H-How can I help you, madame?"

"It's a cold night, good monsieur. I'm looking for a place to stay," the woman said in a croaking voice.

Adam needed time to recover. He closed his eyes for a moment. He had no idea what to think about this. This was a test. Or a cruel hallucination Maybe he was still asleep, dreaming. Or… could it be that it was going to start all over again? A wave of fear came over him at the possibility. If that was the case, he'd better make the right decision this time. "And what are you going to give me in return?" he said, his voice trembling slightly.

"I don't have much to give, monsieur," the beggar woman continued. She reached into her robes and held out a red rose. "All I can offer you is this small precious flower."

Adam smiled. It _was_ a test. And he would pass it this time. He stepped aside to let her in. "Of course you can spend the night here. There is plenty of room and it's a privilege to share."

"That's right." The old hag gave him a toothless smile and limped into the hall way. She reached into her robes again, this time taking out a thin wand. With a flick, she transformed herself, just as she had done so many years ago.

Now standing in front of him was the young blonde woman in the bright green robes. She sank to one knee and bowed her head to the prince. "It's good to see you like this, your highness."

"I have wronged you," Adam said as he took her hand and helped her up.

"That's all in the past now." The young woman smiled at him. "You have learned to love another and to earn her love in return."

"Yes, I did," Adam said impatiently. What was she waiting for? The spell was broken, the Enchantress was here. When was she going to make Belle appear? Hadn't he waited long enough?

"My name is Alexia. I come from Évreux," the Enchantress said. She took off her cloak and gave it to Cogsworth, then glanced expectantly around the hallway, looking from Adam to Cogsworth, to Lumière and Mrs. Potts. "I came to meet the girl who broke my spell… Where is she?"

Adam stared at her. "What do you mean, where is she?" he demanded. "I thought you would know! That you came here bring her back here by magic!"

"Excuse me? She isn't here?" Alexia said surprised. "Then how did you become human again?"

"I don't know!" Adam raised his hands to the sky. "I woke up and everything was back to normal. That's all I know! And that Belle isn't here!"

"I don't understand. How could she break the spell without being here?"

"You tell me! You're the witch! It was your spell!" Adam shouted in frustration. He had waited the entire day for Belle to get back and now this witch was asking him this stupid questions! Without bringing Belle back to him!

"I'm sorry, but this was not supposed to happen like this!" Alexia apologized.

"I don't care!" Adam yelled. "I'm human again, I'm worthy of Belle's love! Get her back here!"

Alexia tried to think. "What happened exactly? When did she leave?"

Adam grunted with frustration. He couldn't answer. He turned away from the group. Was that all she could say? "This was not supposed to happen like this"? This was even worse than the waiting he had done all day. He fell into despair. For a moment he thought that it would be better to be a Beast again. Without Belle, it didn't matter.

"She left the day before yesterday, late in the evening," Lumière answered for the prince.

"Where did she go?"

"The master let her go to take care of her father," Lumière whispered. "Unfortunately, we don't know where she is from. Only that she must live nearby."

"Belle is in trouble," Adam said firmly. "She would be here if she wasn't."

"Let's… let's not jump to conclusions," Alexia said hesitantly. "Maybe there is something I can do. Give me the magic mirror I gave you."

"I gave it to her as a present, so she would have a way to look back," Adam admitted reluctantly. Was that the mistake he had made? Without the mirror, could he never be reunited with his love?

"You don't have the mirror." Alexia looked around and walked straight to a huge mirror in the hallway. "The mirror I gave you had a spell on it. You could see other places with it, but there was more. It can communicate with other mirrors."

"That's impossible," Cogsworth said, rolling his eyes.

"No. It's not," Alexia said, annoyed. "Let's hope that wherever she is, she has the mirror with her. What's the name of the girl?"

"Belle."

The Enchantress stood in front of the mirror, she looked over her shoulder at the crowd behind her. She gave them an apologizing look and said: "I've never done this kind of magic before. Let's hope this works." She raised her arms and mumbled a spell: "Belle."

Adam looked around anxiously. No sparkles. No lightning. No Belle. "Was something supposed to happen?" he asked.

Alexia started to look anxious as well. She seemed a bit embarrassed when nothing happened. "Let me try it again: Belle."

"Let me!" Adam pushed Alexia aside and raised his arms. "Belle!" Still nothing. Defeated, he sat down on a nearby chair, his head in his hands.

No. No! NO! This couldn't be true! It couldn't end like this! Now that the spell was lifted, he and Belle were supposed to live happily ever after. He was her prince, she was his princess, the spell was broken, and the only logic ending to this fairytale was to get married and live together! In his castle!

"Maybe she broke the mirror?" Cogsworth suggested.

"Belle wouldn't break it," Adam disagreed. "She would cherish it."

"Maybe she put it in a drawer?" Lumière asked Alexia. "No light in the drawer?"

Alexia shook her head. "No. Then the image would be black, we can still see ourselves."

"Can it be that she only said it to get out of the castle?" Cogsworth remarked quietly.

"If that were the case, you wouldn't be human now," Alexia said quickly, before Adam could get a word in.

Cogsworth looked at the Enchantress. "Don't you have a spell to find her?"

"No, I don't," Alexia said. "And don't start about crystal balls, those don't exist."

"What sort of an Enchantress are you, if I may ask?"

"A very powerful one and if you're not careful, you'll be saying tick-tock again within seconds!"

Adam didn't listen to what Cogsworth and Alexia were bickering about. It wouldn't bring Belle back. One thing was clear: he would have to bring her back himself. And the sooner he started, the better. "Cogsworth, saddle my horse. Lumière, bring me my coat. I'm going to look for her."

"Your highness, it's dark," Lumière started.

"I don't care!" Adam shouted angrily. He opened the door and saw that it had started to snow again. "I have to find Belle," he said desperately.

"Going out in the dark is not only dangerous, but foolhardy," Lumière continued. "You can't rush into this. You need to have a plan of how to look for her."

"Fine. A plan. I need a plan," Adam said as he started to pace again. How was he ever going to do this? Belle could be anywhere! There were dozens of little villages in this region. How was he ever going to find the right village, let alone the right house?

"Cogsworth! Bring me a map of the area!"

That evening when Belle was brought back to her cell, she paused before entering it. Something had been troubling her for the entire day, but there had been no opportunity to ask. Being escorted back by Madame Beaumont herself, this might be the only chance she would get.

"Madame Beaumont," she said hesitantly. "May I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how my father is doing? He was rather sick when we were brought here." There. She had said it. Now all she could do was hope for an honest answer.

The woman didn't speak for a few seconds, which felt like hours to Belle. "Your father is in the hospital wing of our institution," Madame Beaumont said finally. "Your fiancé has told me he has sent a doctor to see him."

"My fiancé?" Belle asked, confused. But the moment she said it, she realized that the woman meant Gaston. She decided not to get into a fight about that. Finding out how her father was doing was more important. "Where is the hospital wing, can I go there?"

Madame Beaumont shook her head, walking on to Belle's cell. "Not if I have anything to say about it. You are not well. But you can ask your fiancé to talk to Monsieur d'Arque to see what he thinks."

"That man is not my fiancé," Belle sighed, irritated. "When will he be here?"

"Monsieur d'Arque told me he will be visiting tomorrow."

"Good, I can't wait," Belle murmured. She had to admit, it was friendly of the woman to tell her how her father was doing. If it was true, she reminded herself. Gaston could have paid Madame Beaumont to tell her lies. That wouldn't be a surprise. It wasn't right, how Gaston was in full power over everything in here! Everything that happened to her was the result of Gaston's will.

In all honesty, the day hadn't been as awful as she had expected it to be. Aside from the food being disgusting here, talking to Stella was a fine way to pass the day. She could survive for a few days here. Surely that would be enough time to make Gaston change his mind. The only thing she wasn't sure of surviving were the nights.

Last night had been terrible With the window letting the cold winter air in, the fireplace wasn't able to warm her. Being all alone in that cell was bad enough. But the low temperature made it impossible for her to sleep well. If she couldn't sleep, she would hear noises she didn't want to hear. If she couldn't sleep, she would think too much about things she didn't want to think about: her father, Adam, the fear of never being able to get out of the asylum. Those thoughts would haunt her all night. She didn't want to go through that again.

"Can I ask something else?" Belle asked when they had almost reached her cell. She hated to ask for a favor from a woman who might conspire against her.

"What is it, Belle?"

"Can I… Can I get an extra blanket?" she spoke quickly, hoping that if she could explain herself clearly, that she then would get what she needed. "You see, it's very cold in my ce… In my room."

To Belle's surprise, the woman didn't have to think long about her request. She smiled at Belle and beckoned to follow her. "Come with me."

"Thank you so much," Belle said with a deep sigh as they walked around a corner. "I really appreciate it," she added.

They stopped in front of a large cupboard. Madame Beaumont took a key from her key ring and opened the door. The cupboard was filled with clean white sheets and thick blankets. Belle was delighted. With one of those she would be warm. She would be able to sleep all night. Tonight would be a better night, and with a better night a better day would follow. This was just exactly what she needed. Maybe the woman of the asylum wasn't as bad as she had thought yesterday.

But when she reached out to take one of the blankets out of the cupboard, Madame Beaumont quickly shut the cupboard door. Belle pulled her hand back just in time. "Hey! Why did you do that?"

"We don't give out luxury goods for free here, mademoiselle. You have to earn it."

"What do you mean?"

The woman smiled wickedly, clearly enjoying every moment. "Does the beast in the castle exist?" She spoke slowly, as though Belle was really having a mental condition.

Belle rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course, he-" she began, but stopped in mid-sentence when Madame Beaumont firmly closed the door and turned the key. "Wait!"

"Yes, mademoiselle?"

"He-" Belle started, then hesitated. She knew what she had to do. She knew what the woman expected of her. If that was all it took to have a good night's sleep… it wouldn't be so bad to say it, would it? It would mean she would get a blanket. It would mean being warm. "He-" she started again.

Madame Beaumont turned the key and opened the door of the cupboard. There were those warm blankets again.

_Don't say it! _a voice in the back of her head begged her. _Don't do this! You're going to deny his existence, his love, everything you two have shared for a blanket? _

"He doesn't-"

_No, don't, Belle!_

She tried to listen to the voice. The voice was right, this was not good. But those blankets looked so warm! The thought of going back to that ice-cold cell for an entire night was simply unbearable. The solution was right in front of her! And if she wanted to survive, she had to stay alive. She reached her hand out to the blankets.

_Don't! What will Adam say? _

"Shut up! I'm cold!" Belle argued out loud.

"What was that?" Madame Beaumont said as she raised an eyebrow. She opened the closet and took out one of the blankets. She let it touch the skin on Belle's arms. "Did you know these blankets are filled with goose down feathers? They will keep you warm in even the coldest winter."

Belle bit her lower lip as the fabric touched her arm. It was almost torture. It was so soft. The blanket was thick and warm. And it felt good. She had to have it. "He doesn't," she answered breathlessly.

Madame Beaumont pulled the blanket away from Belle. "He doesn't what?" she said with a smile.

_Please, Belle, don't do it! Think of Adam! Please! _

But Belle couldn't help it, she had to have that blanket. No matter what it took, she had to have that blanket! She didn't want to freeze again this night. She needed it to sleep. There was nothing bad about it! "He doesn't exist!" she shouted.

"Who?"

"The beast in the castle! He doesn't exist! He's not real!" she shouted, devastated.

"That's right. Here you go," Madame Beaumont agreed as she placed the blanket into Belle's hands. "Now, it's past your bed time!"

_Oh no... Belle, what have you done? _

The moment Belle took the blanket, she knew that what she had done was wrong. She followed Madame Beaumont to her cell. She didn't speak anymore. She didn't react when the door was closed and locked. She felt numb. Her emotions were gone.

She sat down on her bed with the blanket still in her hands. She had been in the asylum for only a day and a half, and already it was clear that she was losing her sense of what was right. Betraying Adam's love and existence for a blanket. For a blanket!

She let the blanket slip onto the floor and stared at it in disbelief. _How could I betray him like this?_

From the moment she had traded places with her father, Adam had been kind to her. Yes, he did have a temper and was impatient. But he had opened his house and his heart to her. He would never be this selfish. He would never have chosen his own comfort over betraying her.

Belle curled up under the thin sheet on her bed and closed her eyes. The blanket stayed on the floor for the entire night.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N just to thank Trudi once again for beta'ing, and improving the chapter! And I've replaced chapter 5, by accident I've posted the unedited version! **

It was late morning when Adam and Lumière rode out of the village of Eslettes, yet another town where they had had no luck. Nobody here had heard of Belle or her father. No one was able to give them even the smallest clue where he could find Belle.

Adam was getting more and more frustrated. Their search hadn't gone according to plan at all! He had no idea where to look for Belle, or even if he was getting closer to her or not! He wondered if it was some sort of second part of the curse, some trick from that witch Alexia! He had learned to love another, yet was now tortured with having to live without her. That would be one cruel trick.

"You will find her, your highness," Lumière interrupted Adam's train of thought.

They arrived at a crossroads. One road went back to the castle, one to Montville, and one to Rouen.

"What if she lives in Rouen, Lumière?" Adam said with a desperate sigh. "How am I ever going to find her if she lives in a big city?"

"Then it will take longer to find her," Lumière tried to reassure the prince.

"What if I don't?" Adam disagreed. "What am I supposed to do then? How can I live without Belle? She's the one who rescued me!"

"We have only been looking for three days. There are still a few villages we have to go to." Lumière pointed into the direction of the forest. "Let's go to Montville, it's on the other side of the forest."

"I wanted to find her myself, but now it's more important that she just be found," Adam said, determined. He steered the horse to the path leading to the village. "If we don't find her today, then tomorrow everyone in the castle will go out looking for her."

When they had almost reached the other side of the forest, they saw two men approaching. One was tall and muscular, the other short and stout. They were carrying hunting rifles - well, the short guy was carrying everything.

"Messieurs!" Adam shouted as he rode to them at high speed. Those men must live in Montville. "I need your help!"

"What do you want?" the tall man said arrogantly. He looked as if he and Lumière were disturbing something very important.

"Information," Adam said as he and Lumière dismounted their horses. He gave the reins of his horse to Lumière. "Do you know a girl named Belle?"

For an instant, the hunter looked startled , and Adam felt a surge of hope. But the hunter shook his head.

"Doesn't ring a bell," he said. He slapped the short guy, who apparently hadn't reacted fast enough. "Get it, Lefou? The girl's name is Belle!"

The short guy started to laugh hysterically as if the hunter had said the funniest thing in the world. It was clear that he was the leader. Adam instinctively didn't like the man, but he looked like the big man in town. If Belle was here, he would probably know it.

The hunter stopped laughing and looked from Adam to Lumière and back to Adam. "Why are you looking for her?"

"That's none of your business," Adam said, annoyed. Couldn't this guy just answer the question and help him to find Belle? Why were all these people so difficult!

"If you want my help it is," the man replied, and walked away.

Adam walked after him and put his hand on his shoulder, turning the man around. "Listen: She's living somewhere around here with her father, Maurice." When his hand touched the shoulder, the man immediately turned around, looking at the hand with a raised eyebrow. Adam removed his hand and sighed. "She has brown hair, big eyes. Very beautiful. She's smart, loves to read."

"Our girls here are properly raised," the hunter chuckled. "They don't waste their time reading."

"This girl doesn't waste her time, she enjoys it."

"Still don't know her," the hunter shrugged. He seemed to be thinking about something for a moment. He readjusted his gloves, taking the rifle out of the short guy's hands. "Are you searching in every village in this area?"

"Yes, we need to find her," Adam said warily as he kept his eye on the rifle. He didn't trust this man at all. He was too confident, and clearly not willing to help.

"Then you can check off Montville from your list," the man said, taking a few bullets out of his bag and loading the rifle. He shook his head. "She doesn't live there."

"What about you?" Adam said as he walked to the short guy. "Do you know Belle de la Vallière?"

The little guy gulped. "Gaston is the most popular man in town! He knows everyone!" he said, scared. Apparently he was not used to people asking him questions. He hesitated. "If he says that girl doesn't live here, then she doesn't live here."

Mmm… Adam wasn't convinced. The short guy did whatever the hunter told him, and the hunter… there was something up with him.

The hunter suddenly spoke. "That suit you are wearing…" The man took hold of the front of Adam's coat and examined it. It was very richly embroidered. "Is this a uniform, something official?" he asked, while rubbing the fabric

"No, it's not!" Aggressively, Adam pulled the coat out of the hunter's hand . He got the feeling that this man would be hostile not only to him, but to every nobleman. "Why?"

The man looked at him, putting his rifle on his back. "I can't imagine how, but is that girl a danger to anyone? A threat to society?" he asked.

"What?" Adam asked, confused. Belle, a danger to society? Where did this guy get his ideas from? Adam started wondering whether the man should be committed to an insane asylum!

"If she's such a danger, I can inform the people here to be careful," the hunter suggested.

"She's not," Lumière said quickly. He looked at Adam, saying softly, "Your highness, we'd better go. We are not going to find her here. "

Adam closed his eyes, trying to count to ten, trying not to lose his temper. He thought of Belle, what she would say to him in this situation. She would tell him the same thing. _A man like this is not_ _worth getting angry at_. He calmed down a bit and turned his back on the hunter. He had to get away from this place as quickly as possible.

If Belle was from this place, he reasoned, she would have mentioned something about these men.

* * *

"Why are they looking for Belle?" Lefou asked anxiously.

"I don't know, but he's not going to find her," Gaston said with narrowed eyes. Lefou didn't notice it, but he wasn't all that confident. He didn't like strangers, especially not when they were asking after his future wife.

"He looks rich, almost like a nobleman," Lefou continued, still looking at the men leaving. "What could Belle possibly have to do with a nobleman?"

Gaston tried to figure out that question as quickly as possible. Maybe Belle had met that guy before she moved to the village. There was a rumor in the village that Belle's mother came from a well-to-do family. Could it be that fancy guy was from that time? A family member? No. That guy was not talking like a family member about Belle. He had a different interest in her.

"Wait!" he yelled impulsively, before the two men disappeared from sight. He had to do something. Within seconds the two men were back.

"You remember Belle?" the stranger asked eagerly, as he dismounted his horse and walked to Gaston. "Where is she?"

Gaston ignored the question. He gave the man a good once-over, trying to buy some time. He needed a plan. And fast. Luckily he was slightly taller and his muscles were definitely bigger than the other man's. Aside from the man possibly having a title, he was no match for Gaston. Granted, nobles had power, and a prudent commoner would treat one with respect…but Gaston had never been known for his caution. Besides, they were alone in the woods, and this guy didn't even know Gaston's name. With his customary arrogance, Gaston was confident that nothing would happen to him.

"I asked you a question!" the fancy guy demanded, raising his voice.

Gaston smiled innocently. He had to make sure that this guy would never want to step one foot into the village. If this guy was romantically interested in Belle, Gaston knew what would tick a man off most.

He simply shrugged. "I just wanted to say, when you find your 'Belle' and you are done with her, send her to my house." He pointed over his shoulder. "It's the first big house across the bridge; there are antlers above the door."

"What?"

To Gaston's enjoyment, the fancy guy almost exploded with what Gaston was insinuating. He went on.. pushing him further. "That's why you're looking for a common village girl, isn't it? What happened, did you run out of servant girls?" Gaston grinned at him, trying to see how far he could go. "Come on, you know what I mean. If she's really that beautiful, she's more than welcome!"

Without warning, the fancy guy suddenly pulled out his fencing sword and aimed at Gaston's chest. "Defend yourself, peasant!"

"Hey, be careful with that thing!" Instinctively Gaston took a hasty step back. This was not what he had expected!

The guy took a threatening step forward, pressing the tip of the sword against the fabric of Gaston's jerkin. "What were you saying?"

"I was kidding! I don't know your girl!" Gaston yelled with a touch of fear in his voice. He put up his hands and took another step back. His back bumped against a big tree, cutting off his retreat. He quickly looked around, seeing what his best and quickest way out would be.

Before he could move or jump away, the guy put the point of his sword against Gaston's throat, right under his chin. "And?"

Gaston swallowed, feeling the sharp steel against his skin. This was not part of his plan! He had just wanted to annoy and insult the guy. Not get into a duel! He started to breathe more heavily. "And I don't _want_ to know her, okay?" he added quickly.

The fancy guy seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then, to Gaston's vast relief, he put the sword back in its scabbard. He mounted his horse again and gave Gaston one more cold glare. "I'm not wasting my time with you any longer," he said disdainfully. With that, the fancy guy and his companion rode away.

That had been close! The guy was more violent than Gaston had thought. _Probably head over heels in love with Belle, _he thought, rolling his eyes. _Well, he can't have her. Belle is mine. _He touched his throat gingerly and saw a drop of blood on his fingers.

Whoever this stranger was, he had to be taken care of. He had to stay miles away from Montville and the asylum. Gaston couldn't have some stranger snooping around. It was impossible that that guy would find Belle. But just in case…

"Lefou, go to my house and saddle Magnifique," he said , heading back toward the village.

"You don't want to go hunting?" Lefou asked in surprise, hurrying after Gaston.

"Not now. I need to pick up something."

* * *

"And therefore?"

"And therefore, it is not possible for a beast to survive in a castle all on its own," Belle finished the sentence. She put down her quill and rubbed her eyes.

It was the third day now that Madame Beaumont had called her to her office and made her write down over and over that the Beast didn't exist, that it was only her imagination. With every line it became more and more impossible for Belle to believe what she thought was true. It seemed long ago. Like something from a dream.

"That will be all for today, Belle," Madame said as she sat down behind her desk. She had been pacing up and down her office, dictating to Belle or asking questions. She took the quill and paper from Belle and gave her an approving nod. "You are doing very well, Belle. Finish your tea."

Obediently, Belle took the cup, but wrinkled her nose when she smelt the drink. "It smells unusual."

"You keep saying that, but it's just tea," Madame answered without looking up from her papers. "The water is coming from a different well than you have at home."

"But still-"

"You are really making progress, Belle, don't ruin it by getting suspicious over a cup of tea," Madame put down the papers and looked at Belle. "This afternoon I plan to discuss with Monsieur d'Arque when you can leave the asylum."

Without hesitating, Belle drank her cup of tea in one gulp.

An hour later Belle dragged herself across the garden. She hadn't had a decent night of sleep for two nights now. The cold and her thoughts kept her awake.

In some ways Madame Beaumont had a point: fairytales didn't happen in real life. There were no witches or fairies, no enchantresses deciding over good and evil. Princes in disguise didn't come by in a normal girl's life.

But it had felt so real. Dining, laughing, dancing with Adam... She could still feel the fur of Adam's paws holding her hands when he had showed her the library. She could still see the affection for her in his eyes when he told her she should go back to her father.

_Wait, that's odd. You were held prisoner because you traded places with your father. And then…he releases you to go that same father? Come on, Belle, that doesn't make sense. _

Only, if it wasn't true, if it hadn't really happened… _Then what was I doing all that time? And how long was it? How long was I in the castle? Was it days, weeks, months? _She couldn't remember. It was all a blur. Lately it seemed so hard to think…

Belle sighed. Trying to make sense of all the events didn't work. It didn't make sense. She looked to her side and noticed that Stella wasn't walking next to her anymore. She turned and saw Stella staring open-mouthed at the gate of the asylum garden.

"Oh wow…" Stella muttered softly.

'_Oh wow?' You mean 'Oh no'! _Belle thought, distressed. This was not what she was in the mood for! She jumped behind the nearest tree and quickly beckoned Stella to come over, to hide as well. Only problem: Stella didn't understand what she meant.

Stella started laughing. "You have to tell me when you want to play hide and seek! Now I already know where you are!" She turned around, put her hands before her eyes and started counting. "One, two, three, four, five-"

"Stella, get over here! I'm not playing," Belle hissed through teeth. "Do you see that man next to Madame Beaumont?"

"Yes!" Stella nodded enthusiastically. She pointed in his direction and waved. "He's so dreamy!"

Belle came out of her hiding place, pulled Stella behind the tree. "That's the man who brought me here! He wants to marry me!"

"And you don't?" Stella said, surprised. She looked around the tree and took another look at Gaston. She looked back at Belle with disbelief in her eyes. "You don't want to marry that guy? Are you crazy?"

"DON'T SAY THAT WORD! I'M NOT CR-" Belle snapped, at the same time realized that she was drawing attention to herself. "I'm not crazy."

"But _look_ at him! How could you refuse him? Look at that smile! That hair! Those very very very tight pants!"

"Yes, he's gorgeous! The problem is he knows he's gorgeous and-"

"Why is that a problem?" Stella interrupted with a shrug. "It's false modesty for him to say he's not."

"That's not the point! He locked me up in this limbo!"

"If you refused to marry him, you need to be locked up!"

Belle closed her eyes, slowly counting to ten. Even if Adam and the castle and everything that had happened was just her imagination, that didn't mean that refusing Gaston's proposal was crazy. There was nothing between them. There never was. "What's happening now?" she asked, not wanting to look.

"He's coming over!"

"I'm not here!" Belle mouthed.

"Hello, you must be Stella," she heard Gaston say.

"Oui, monsieur," Stella said, sounding like she was on top of the world. "What's that on your throat? Did you get hurt?"

Gaston grinned, but didn't answer Stella's question. "Do you know where my fiancée is? She was around here Just a moment ago."

_Please, Stella, don't say a thing,_ Belle begged silently.

Stella turned to Belle and embraced her tightly. "So you did accept his proposal! I knew you were only fooling around! Who in her right mind would ever turn down such a man!"

"You are a clever young lady," Gaston said with a smirk.

_Thank you, Stella. _Belle stepped from behind the tree. "I didn't accept anything."

"You have to remember the day I came to ask for your hand!" Gaston almost exclaimed, spreading his arms as if he was announcing it to the world. "You've said it was the day your dreams came true!"

"What could you possibly know about my dreams, Gaston?"

Gaston ignored her and went on. "I went into that basement where your father keeps all his inventions. I told Maurice how I feel about you." He paused for a second, looking away from her, as if he had to think about what he was going to say. He sighed and looked back at her. "It filled his old heart with joy to know that you would be taken care of, when he-"

Belle gasped and walked away from Gaston. She didn't want to listen to him or speak to him, but he couldn't talk about her father like that. How dare he talk about her father like that! In anger, she turned back to him and yelled: "You laugh at him, you think of him as the village idiot!"

Gaston grabbed her wrist and held her tightly. "Listen to me: Your father is an old man. Who is now in the hospital wing with a severe pneumonia." He let go of her and looked at her with disdain. "You didn't even ask about him."

Belle felt a pang of guilt going through her body. He was right. She should have asked about her father the moment she saw Gaston coming into the garden. She had only thought of her own problems instead of her father's condition.

"My father is really at the hospital wing?" Gaston nodded. For one more moment she hesitated whether or not she should believe him. She had no other choice. "How is he doing?"

"It's not looking good, Belle. The doctor visits him daily, but he isn't very optimistic."

Belle closed her eyes. She felt awful. "Can I see him?"

"Not in the condition you are in now. It would break your father's heart to see you like this."

"He does know I'm here, doesn't he?" Belle asked.

Gaston crossed his arms, looking incredibly smug and pleased with himself. "I've told him that you have the same illness he has. And that you are away to recover."

Belle's mouth fell open. "You've told him what?" How could Gaston tell her father such lies! That was definitely not going to help him!

"I didn't want to upset him," Gaston explained with a shrug. "He doesn't need to hear exactly where you are staying."

"Oh," she said after a pause of confusion. That was unexpectedly kind of Gaston. Not like him at all. If it was true. She still wasn't convinced that Gaston would take care of her father. Monsieur d'Arque and Madame Beaumont had told her he had, but Gaston only acted kind when there was something in it for himself…if he could get something out of it.

"I'm thinking of both your welfares," Gaston said. "That's why your father was so happy when I told him that I was going to propose to you."

Belle shook her head. "No. The only time you proposed to me, I was alone and I threw you out."

"Belle, how can you forget the most romantic moment of your life? I'll refresh your memory," he said confidentially. He took her hands and led her to a bench standing against the asylum wall. He sat down and pulled her on his lap. "Close your eyes and picture this…"

Belle made a surprised face. "You want me to use my _imagination?_"

"Exactly." He kept holding her hands, making sure that there was no escape.

_Should I scream? Or spit in his face again? _Belle thought. _No… they will probably put me in a straitjacket. Better wait and see what happens. Nothing he can say can make me change my mind. _She sat back and tried to relax.

Gaston smiled and started talking. "Picture this: It's the end of a sunny afternoon when I come to pick you up at your father's house. I can read in your eyes that you are surprised to see me, since we saw each other only a few hours ago when you came back from the baker. I've bought you a croissant. Nice and warm, fresh from the oven. Just as you like it."

_Wait. How does he know that I like warm croissants? _Belle shifted restlessly on Gaston's lap. She was starting to get uncomfortable.

"I say to your father that I need to tell you something important. Curious as you are, you ask to know what is going on. I smile at you and sweep you off your feet. I carry you outside and lift you onto my noble steed."

_Noble steed? He can't be talking about his horse; that animal is dangerous! I'd never sit on that horse! Unless someone would hold onto me…_

"I know you don't like riding on a horse as temperamental as Magnifique, but I'm holding on to you tightly. You are safe in my arms."

_How can he say the things I'm thinking? He can't know. _

"You are thrilled when you see where we stopped. Your eyes light up. We are in the meadow on the hills. The view is amazing. I know how free you feel here."

_He can't know how I feel. He can't. _"I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but this is getting scary," Belle said, agitated. She tried to release herself from Gaston's grip, but he was too strong. "Let go of me!"

"I'm never letting you go, Belle. How can I, after all the happy times we've spend together?" He stroked her hair, murmuring soothingly, as though calming a skittish horse. "I know you, Belle. I know you don't go to the meadows just because of the view and the feeling of freedom. I know you go there because you feel lonely."

"I-"

"I know how hard it has been for you in the village. People talking about you. The whispers. The gossip."

It was true. She often went to the meadows when she felt trapped in the village. Whenever she heard the people gossip behind her back, she escaped to the meadows. Usually with a book, but not always. She could stare at those hills and the lake in the distance for hours, thinking about her life in the village and ways to get out. _How can Gaston possibly know about the meadows? Did he see me there? Did he follow me? _That must be it. He must have seen her there. It was on the way to the forest, after all. That must be it. He had just seen her there and jumped to conclusions.

It was simply not possible that she had told him how she felt. She and Gaston had never talked. _Or did we? _She couldn't think straight. Her mind was blurry. Could it be that there was truth in Gaston's words? He knew things about her. _Did I talk to him? _She couldn't remember it. There were some vague images in her mind of Gaston walking with her when she came from the bookstore. Like the memories with Adam, it felt long ago. _Did I… And if I did, when and how…_

"But things were getting better, when I started courting you."

Suddenly a memory came to Belle's mind. There was a day when she was on her way home from the bookstore. She had been reading while walking home. Although she was caught up in the story, she was still aware of the people talking. They called her beautiful, but odd, funny, different. She knew she didn't fit in, but hearing it every day was the thing that hurt. And then there was Gaston.

She couldn't remember what they had talked about, but she did remember that when Gaston talked to her, the other people went on with their lives. Some did stick around to listen to whatever he said, but they didn't gossip about him.

_After every time Gaston talked to me, the people were more friendly to me afterwards, less hostile. Life became bearable. Thanks to Gaston? That would be a reason to talk to him. To bond. Was it my way to survive the village? _

Gaston let go of her hands and placed his hand on her cheek. Gently he turned her face back to his. "I'm here, sweetheart," he said softly. He caressed her cheek with his thumb, still smiling at her. "Stay with the story."

When her eyes met his, he smiled at her. It was a different smile than usual. It was sincere and also concerned. He didn't look like Gaston. She could see that he was looking for something in her eyes. It was confusing.

"How?" she said with a tremble in her voice. "When?"

"Shhh… Don't upset yourself," he whispered as he kissed her forehead. "As we are looking at the view, you sigh that you could stay here forever."

Gaston put his arm around her. Confused, Belle let her head rest on his shoulder and closed her eyes. The sound of his deep voice was soothing. Almost as clear as day she could see the pictures that Gaston described. She saw the sunset and she could feel a soft breeze.

"I stand behind you. I move your hair to the other side and kiss your neck."

While Gaston was talking, she felt something tingling on her neck. A little bit of soft pressure. She wasn't sure if it was imagination or a memory.

"You giggle softly and lean back against my chest. I go down on one knee and take your hand. There are tears in the corner of your eyes."

Belle looked up to him when he paused. He smiled at her.

"You looked so beautiful," he said as he smiled back to her. "You happily give your consent. We kiss and you say that this is the most beautiful moment of your life. Exactly as you had always pictured it. Exactly as it was in your books."

It did sound like one of her books. The happy ending came with the hero and heroine in some place that was beautiful and simply perfect. There they talked about everything they had been through together… then the moment of silence, and then he would propose. And they always lived happily ever after.

"The evening falls and as we return to the village, we ride off into the sunset."

"Oh wow…" Stella sighed. "That's so romantic!"

Belle looked around and saw that half of the patients and most of the staff members had been listening to Gaston's story. She had forgotten where she was. It had been like Gaston was talking only to her.

"Please tell me that you remember some of it."

This story was full of details. She didn't know what to believe. There were familiar things in everything Gaston had just said. And _he_ didn't have any imagination. He wasn't able to make everything up. When he was bragging about his hunting trophies, he only exaggerated.

Belle's mind was racing. She couldn't make head or tail of it. The big question was: Could it be true? If it _could_ be true, then maybe it _was_ true. Then why didn't it feel right?

"Belle?" Gaston said softly.

"I… I'm tired," Belle answered. She tried to think quickly, but she couldn't say anything.

"I know, sweetheart," Gaston said as he reached into his bag. "I've brought you something." He took a large object out of his bag.

"The mirror!" Belle exclaimed. She pulled the mirror out of Gaston's hands and jumped up. This was her way out! Everything Gaston had just told her didn't matter anymore. Maybe they were engaged, maybe not. At least now she could prove that Adam and the castle existed...that she wasn't crazy! "Show me the Beast!"

_Come on! Show me Adam! Show them that everything I've said is true! _Only the mirror didn't show her anything. Nothing happened. Not even a spark. Belle stared in dismay. This wasn't good. It wasn't supposed to go like this. She was supposed to see the Beast. "Show me the Beast! Please…"

_No… please, show me Adam, _she begged mentally. It didn't help. The glass in the mirror stayed the way it was. All she saw was her own reflection. She sank down in the grass and started to cry. No Beast. No castle. Nothing. Her only way out. Gone. "It had magic powers!" she sobbed.

Gaston knelt down next to her and took her in his arms. "It's just a mirror, sweetheart. I brought it to you as a gift."

"You broke the glass! I saw you break it."

Gaston didn't say a thing. He just shook his head.

Belle put her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. This was it. She was now officially crazy. A fool. She had made up a beast in a castle. A beast that was kind and noble and understood her. Like an imaginary friend a five-year-old has. She had always known so perfectly well what was good and bad; she had always thought she could see through people. Knowing more than others. In a way, feeling better than other people. But now it turned out that she had it all wrong.

"What is happening to me?" she whispered.

"You are a bit disoriented, sweetheart." Gaston wiped the hair out of Belle's face. "That's why you are here: to get better."

"I was in his castle. I danced with him," she said with pain in her heart,. trying one more time to make it sound believable. "I rested my head on his chest. I felt his heartbeat."

Gaston gave her a pitying smile. He helped her up and placed his hand around her waist. He pulled her in and gently pushed her head against his chest. He took her hand in his, slowly moving around as if they were dancing. "Like this?"

Belle nodded. She heard Gaston's steady heartbeat. It somehow felt familiar. She looked at Gaston's hand holding hers. For a moment she saw Adam's paw. Then she blinked and she saw Gaston's hand again. His hand was almost as big as Adam's. His chest was almost as broad as Adam's.

No. Adam didn't exist. He wasn't real. He was just a figment of her imagination.

"You are thinking of the harvest dance a few weeks ago, the evening before we got engaged. We danced till the sun came up," Gaston whispered to her. He stopped moving and took a step back. He lifted her chin to face him. "You were always walking around with your head in the clouds. It's time to come back to earth, Belle."

"I want to go home," she said softly.

"I know, sweetheart, I know," Gaston sighed. He put his arm around her and walked back to the gate. "But you've only been here for a few days. It might be too soon."

Belle released herself from his grip and started to walk in front of him, facing him. She walked backwards till she ended with her back against the gate. "Take me away from this place!"

Gaston pushed her away from the gate and opened it. "I have to go."

"Please take me with you!" Belle said she said with tears in her eyes. She clasped herself to him. "I'm sorry about everything I've said, Gaston!"

"I'll talk to Paul about it," Gaston said with a smile. He removed her arms and went through the gate.

Two nuns held Belle's arms and pulled her away from the gate. "When will you be back?" she asked.

"Tomorrow afternoon," Gaston unleashed the reins of his horse from the tree. He adjusted his gloves before he mounted the horse.

"I'll look forward to your visit," Belle whispered.

Whistling, Gaston rode to the main road of the asylum. What a wonderful day it was. He had said exactly the right thing to make Belle come to him. She was already looking forward to seeing him again. One more day, maybe two, but by the end of this week, Belle would be his bride. He really should pay a visit to the priest, to take care of a few arrangements.

"Monsieur de Soleil!"

Gaston stopped and turned around. There was the head of Belle's department. "Madame Beaumont, how can I help you?" he said with a smile. Nothing or no one could ruin his mood.

"I've been putting the laudanum in her tea, every day," Madame said as she held out her hand. "You've seen how calm she is now and, how shall I say it… more willing to turn back into the girl you proposed to."

"It's your job to help these poor unfortunate souls," Gaston said with a shrug. The woman had helped him reach his goals, but he was already paying Paul.

Madame took a hold of the horse's halter, looking up at Gaston. "Yes, and I should be paid for my extra efforts," she emphasized.

" Go to Paul," he said as he pulled the reins. "I've already given him something to cover the expenses."

Madame didn't let go. "She is making great progress, thanks to me. She knows now that her stories about that beast only exist in her imagination."

"Oh, all right. Because I'm in such a good mood. Here," Gaston said as he rolled his eyes. He reached into his money bag and handed her the money. What did it matter, those few coins? Belle wouldn't stay long in the Maison.

Now all he had to do was to make sure they were married as soon as Belle was back. The stranger from this afternoon shouldn't get a chance. As soon as Belle was his wife, that stranger, whoever he was, couldn't get to Belle.

"If somebody comes and asks about her, tell him that she's not there. And if that happens I want to be notified immediately!"


	7. Chapter 7

Belle was almost ready, Gaston thought smugly. Maybe a few more days, at most another week, but very soon she would be his. She was a filly he'd driven to the corner of the stable, and it wouldn't be long before she was eating out of his hand. According to Madame Beaumont, Belle had already abandoned the idea of a beast in a castle; the next step was accepting him as her fiancé. It shouldn't be too difficult. It was almost time for the finale: a big wedding with him as the center of attention.

Now all that was left for him to do was make sure Belle would _act_ like his wife. Madame Gaston… he mused. His little wife. She was almost perfect, but she needed some minor adjustments, some tweaking, and she would be done.

And he knew just the right people for that job. He was striding purposefully across the village square when he spotted them. "Good afternoon, Mayor. May I have a word with you and your wife?"

"Of course, Gaston. What can we do to help you?" the mayor greeted him heartily.

"I'm pleased to tell you that Belle is doing much better and I plan to bring her back to the village very soon."

"That's good news!" the mayor's wife, Madame Chantil, exclaimed. "Do I hear wedding bells?"

"As soon as Belle is home, Madame, we'll get married!" Gaston said happily. Then he looked away as if he were feeling tormented. "But I - or should I say, Belle - needs your help."

"Anything you say," Madame Chantil answered. She seemed so pleased to offer her help to the town's hero...which was of course no surprise.

"The thing is, I won't be bringing just Belle home, but also Maurice," Gaston continued. "Belle is still recovering, we need to make the preparations for the wedding…with everyone that's going on, I'm afraid that taking care of her sick father will be too much for her." He swallowed and looked away from the couple, letting out a deep desperate sigh. "I don't want her to have another breakdown."

"You will be a good husband to her," the woman said admiringly.

"I know," Gaston said automatically. "But she will need help with her father and the house so she can get ready to become my wife."

"No problem."

"No problem?" the mayor interrupted the conversation. "Gaston, you know I'd never want to offend you, but you are talking to my wife. The mayor's wife is neither a cleaning lady nor a nurse!"

"I know, Mayor, and I didn't mean to insult you," Gaston assured him. "But what I need for Belle is more than a cleaning lady. Belle has been without a mother for a long time. To become my wife, she needs the best help she can get. Your wife is the first lady in our town." He gave Madame Chantil his most charming smile. "Who else can teach her how to run my household?"

To his pleasure, he saw that the mayor's wife's cheeks had turned red. She put her hand on her husband's arm. "It's alright, Marcel." She spoke confidentially, but Gaston could still hear her. "We need to help him. Gaston is right: who else can teach Belle what it means to be a wife of the most important man in the village? Most important after you, of course."

Gaston hid his smile behind his hand. This was going exactly as he had expected.

"Alright, let's have a compromise," the mayor said as he turned back to Gaston. "My wife can go help Belle and prepare her for her future life, but she will take our maid with her. She can help out with the cleaning. My wife is not going to clean another family's house!"

"What a great suggestion! Thank you, Mayor," Gaston said, shaking the mayor's hand. The mayor beamed proudly at the compliment.

The conversation was interrupted by the butcher, who barged in saying that he needed to talk to the mayor urgently. This came in handy, because the next thing Gaston had to say wasn't meant for everyone's ears. The fewer people knew, the better.

"There is one more thing, Madame Chantil." Discreetly he took a little bottle out of his bag and gave it to the mayor's wife. "This is a bottle of the medication they gave Belle. Can you give it to her?"

"Of course, I'll make sure she takes her medicine." The mayor's wife took it and placed it in her basket.

"I'd rather that you not mention it to Belle." Gaston shook his head and continued softly, "I don't want her to get upset by finding out that she needs help with her recovery. She has her pride."

"What do you want me to do?"

"At the Maison they put it in her tea, a tablespoon a day."

"That's a good idea. That way Belle can recover without knowing it," Madame Chantil agreed. "Belle is really the luckiest girl in the world to get such a considerate husband."

With that, the mayor's wife left him to go on with her daily shopping. Gaston mentally went over the list of things to do before the wedding. Maurice was taken care of. Belle would get her training to become his wife. Now to make sure she would _look_ like his wife.

She was not like other girls in the village. She didn't spend much time at the seamstress, and according to the peddler, Belle never had bought any jewelry from him. Gaston liked the fact that his wife was not vain, but he deserved something nicer to look at than that modest blue dress she always wore. He wondered if Belle would have something else in her closet. Probably not, but that was something he could get fixed.

"Girls!" he yelled when he saw the triplets walking by. "Get over here!"

As soon as the girls heard his voice, they hurried over, clinging on to him. They looked so happy to be able to talk to him.

"Yes, Gaston?"

"What can we do for you?"

"Oh please, tell us!"

"I need you to do me a favor," Gaston explained as he walked with the girls towards the tavern. When this was over he would get a drink.

"Anything you say, Gaston!"

"Very soon I am going to bring Belle home and I want you to help her," he said. He opened the door to the tavern. "Be kind to her, she needs-"

"Help Belle?" the first one interrupted Gaston's sentence.

"Be kind to that little brat?"

"You can't ask us that!"

Gaston raised his eyebrows. "Girls! Do you want to help me or not?"

"What do you want us to do exactly?" one of them asked suspiciously.

"First of all, get me a beer." He was probably going to need it. This was going to take longer than expected. He sat down in his chair and indicated that the girls had to sit with him. Only they didn't. One of the girls walked over to the bar as her sisters both took chairs and sat opposite him.

"Well?" the second one said when Gaston had his drink.

"Take Belle to the seamstress," he said with a shrug. "Help her to get a new wardrobe. Shoes, jewelry…all the other stuff my wife will need. You know what a woman needs."

For a moment the three girls all looked absolutely stunned. "You want _us_ to dress up _Belle_ for _you_?" the first girl said in disbelief. She exchanged a look with her sisters. They immediately shook their heads. "Forget it!"

"No way."

"Never!"

Totally unexpectedly, the girls gave him a piece of their mind, saying that he was out of his mind and that there was nothing in the world that would make them do this..questioning why they would ever help the girl he favored over them…how dare he to do this to them? It went on and on.

Gaston rolled his eyes. He finally had Belle where he wanted, but now the triplets were going to throw a wrench in the works! He had to do something to get them on his side again. He didn't have to think long to figure out the best way. He raised his hand and the girls stopped talking…but they were still looking daggers at him.

Whenever Gaston was training one of his dogs to fetch game, he knew he needed to have a reward in hand. In essence, a dog and a girl weren't that different. And like all girls, the triplets were very predictable. He knew exactly what their soft spot was…or rather, _who_ their soft spot was.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same," he told them.

"I don't know what that means," one of the girls whispered to her sisters.

"I mean that as a married man, some things will change in my life, but some things will always stay the same," Gaston said, standing up. He walked behind the chairs the sisters were sitting on. He ran his fingers through the hair of the first girl, caressed the neck of the second one, and patted the third on the head like a favorite pet, giving her a soft smile. "Like my visits to the tavern."

The girls exchanged another look, then looked back at him. Slowly they started to understand what he was saying.

"Your visits to the tavern?" the first one asked. "Monday night?"

"Wednesday night?"

"Friday night?"

"Saturday night?" they ended in unison.

"A man needs to keep to his routine," Gaston said seriously. And he meant it. After all, even with Belle as his wife, he couldn't eat the same meal every day. That would get boring. A man needed variety. "With precision and order."

"Give us one moment," one of the sisters said to him. They huddled together, whispering agitatedly. Apparently they weren't sure about what to do. He knew he had hurt their feelings by favoring Belle over them, but he could only marry one girl. This would be a good solution. They would still get to play a small part in his life, and more importantly, he was getting what he wanted. After a minute of discussion, the girls came back to him.

"So helping Belle, is helping you, is helping us," the third girl concluded as she sat down on the arm of the chair. Her two sisters nodded slowly.

"Good. You know what I like," Gaston said as he looked at the girl sitting next to him, her chest exactly at the same level as his eyes. Yes… that was exactly what he liked. Seeing Belle in a dress like that would be the icing on his wedding cake. Of course his wife would be an example to the other women in the village, but everyone had to know that his wife was the most beautiful one.

"And if you three behave and treat Belle with the respect my wife deserves, you can each pick out a little trinket too," he said, he gently shoved the girl off the armrest and patted her on her behind. "Now, off with you, go to the seamstress to look for dresses."

* * *

"Belle, your fiancé will probably take you home within a few days," Madame informed Belle when they were sitting in her office again.

Belle sighed with relief - finally, an answer! Okay, it was still 'probably' and 'within a few days', but that was better than waiting without any hope of ever getting out of here. She had to thank Gaston for this; it was no doubt his doing. The next time he visited her, she had to express her gratitude. Within a few days she could get back to a normal life, to her own house, sleeping in her own bed!

"What about my father?" she asked. She couldn't leave without her father. Or could she? And then what, return to this place as a visitor? No. Her father had to come with her now. And who knew how they had treated him? She could only hope and pray that he was all right.

"The doctor thinks he will be well enough to travel home within a few days as well, but he will need someone to take care of him."

"I'll manage," Belle said confidently. She had always taken care of her father when he was sick. Hearing that her father could go home too was wonderful news! "Can I see my father yet?"

"Maybe later," Madame answered. She stood up from her desk and smiled at Belle. "Now that we have cleared up that little misunderstanding about that beast in the castle, we have to make you a bit more presentable. As the future wife of the most important man around, you must always look your best." She opened the door to the next room.

Curiously, Belle walked into the room. Her eyes widened at the sight of a big bathtub. The water was so hot that steam was coming from it. She looked longingly at the tub. Since she had arrived here she hadn't been able to wash herself or even put on a clean dress. Day in, day out, she had been walking in these rags. She didn't even have something else to sleep in. She felt dirty and sweaty.

She reached out and put her hand in the water. It was the perfect temperature, nice and warm. "This is really for me?"

Madame nodded as she took a basket from the table and handed it to Belle. "Your fiancé has sent you a few things you might need."

In the basket Belle saw several soaps, ointments, sponges and all kind of luxury goods. There even was a little bottle of perfume in there! She had never been a very vain girl, but at this moment in her life she couldn't resist the urge to try out everything.

"Monsieur de Soleil really cares about you," Madame said. "You have to consider yourself very lucky that he chose you for his wife."

"I know."

"With him you will not have a care in the world ever again."

"I know," Belle repeated.

"I'll be in my office, in case you need anything," Madame said as she closed the door.

Belle wasn't listening to Madame anymore. Now that she was in a big room, all by herself, without hearing anyone screaming, she had to get used to the silence. She looked at all the bottles and soaps in the basket. They all smelled so fancy! She even found a very small bottle with a language she couldn't read. She didn't even recognize the letters. Maybe they were Arabian, or who knew, even Chinese! In one of her books, she had read about countries that used a different kind of writing. She let a few drops of the oil fall into the water and immediately the smell of roses filled the room. She quickly undressed and stepped into the water. _This feels amazing! _

She closed her eyes and relaxed. For the first time since she had arrived here, she was able to relax. She thought back to the last time she had been in a bath. It had been in the castle…that wonderful evening when she and Adam had waltzed. Mrs. Potts had helped her with getting ready. She giggled softly. _As much as a teapot could help, of course. _

_Stop it! _she reprimanded herself. _There_ _is no Mrs. Potts! No talking teapots and no Adam!_ She had to stop daydreaming. Her reality, her future was with Gaston. He would be a good husband to her and look after her. He had showed her in so many ways that he loved her. He visited her in the Maison, he helped her get better. He was sending her all these gifts. That must be a sign of love. Or at least affection.

_He locked you up here, _a voice in her head started to argue. Belle tried not to listen. Gaston _had_ brought her here, but that was for her own good. So it wasn't really locking her up. Here it was quiet; it had given her time to get things clear in her head. She needed it, as she was confused…disoriented, as Gaston had put it. He had been right. She wondered how long had it been going on. Had her father noticed it? Maybe, but her father would never send her away. Maybe he hadn't wanted to see it.

But Gaston did see it and he had brought her here. He had her best interests at heart. She was sure of that. What did they always say in wedding vows? 'To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part'.

For better, for worse. In sickness and in health. Gaston was honoring those vows. Belle hoped she could take just as good care of him as he did of her.

_Wait! He's aggressive! Remember the way he kissed you before he brought you here? He practically forced himself upon you! _the voice argued again. She wondered about that. _Was_ that what Gaston had done? Or was that just how she had experienced it at that moment? Now that she was calm and relaxed, she was able to see it from Gaston's point of view. A man sees his fiancée losing touch with reality, shouting to a crowd about a beast in a castle, thinking a mirror could show any other image besides her own reflection. What if she was the one who had witnessed it? She would go to desperate measures to get back the man she loved. So Gaston's reaction wasn't so unusual. It was actually very sweet.

_If you were engaged and everything was so sweet, then why don't you remember it? _The voice kept nagging on and on. She couldn't answer that question. It felt as if there were big gaps in her memory. But did it matter why she couldn't remember it? Who knew? There was something wrong in her head. She had been convinced about a beast in a castle; maybe she had suppressed her feelings about Gaston.

And not just about Gaston; the engagement too. She had never really thought about being married. As long as she was living in Montville, she just couldn't picture herself as married, especially not to someone from the village - that would mean she would have to stay there forever. There would be no adventures and no travels to the great wide somewhere. Only now that she thought of it, living here with Gaston, a man who loved her, it might not be so bad.

She had to admit that she was a bit scared of the future, even if it was with Gaston. She hadn't known any other life than the sheltered life with her father. Now she would be living with a different man. And not just any man, but Gaston de Soleil; the most important man in town. The one who was always watched, whose every action was big news in the town. As his wife she would be standing next to him, the center of attention. That would be a first.

She couldn't picture it. Being Madame Gaston. What would her days look like as Gaston's wife?

There was a memory of Gaston telling her that he would like to have a house filled with children and dogs. Six or seven. Children, not dogs. They MUST have talked about a future together; otherwise she couldn't know that. He wanted to have sons. Strapping boys, like him.

That would be the next step. First she would be a wife. then a mother…with six children. Or seven. Great, that was one more thing she could add to her list of things she couldn't picture. Her imagination was always crystal clear when it came to fairytales, but now that she needed to imagine what her own life would be like, her mind was blank.

Of course, she liked children, but being a mother was something completely different. Especially to six children! Or seven!

_Wait!_ _Children… That means that Gaston and I_… _We will have to…_

She and her father had animals, goats and chickens; she wasn't totally unaware of where children came from. A few months before her mother died, she had vaguely explained what happened between a husband and wife on their wedding night and how children were conceived. But back then Belle had been fourteen years old and had forgotten all about what her mother had said that same day and never thought about it again. Now, it was something she had to start thinking about.

_Okay, I can do this. All I have to do is use my imagination. _

She opened her eyes and sat up straight in the bathtub, trying to think of herself and Gaston in a romantic setting.

At that moment, Madame Beaumont walked back in. Belle protectively crossed her arms over her body. Madame put her hand in the water and said, "The water is getting cold. You'd better get out now. There is something for you in my office." She helped Belle out of the bathtub. "What were you thinking about?"

Madame handed her a towel. Not a rag like Belle had used on her first day; no, this one was thick and warm, made out of the finest cotton. She wrapped it around her body and felt calmer than she had been for a long time.

"The future," she admitted reluctantly. She was not going to tell Madame exactly she was thinking about.

"That's a good sign," Madame said as they walked back to her office. "What you created for yourself, your 'perfect' world out there, has disappeared for good. You have to look at what is in front of you."

"Do you think so?"

"Belle, you are not the first girl to come through here before her wedding. Many girls get cold feet. Getting married is one of the biggest steps a girl can take in her life."

"I just can't imagine my life with Gaston. I really try, I do, but-"

"You will find out along the way," Madame interrupted. "There is something on the table. Why don't you open it?"

Belle hadn't noticed them earlier, but there were two brown paper packages, both very large. She decided to start with the smaller of the two. She gasped softly when she saw the contents: a beautiful dress, much fancier than she was used to wearing. It was very different from her blue day dress. For one thing, it was red - not really a color she was used to wearing. But if her life was going to change for the better, this was a small thing to begin with.

In the second package were clothes as well. First there was a long, luxurious velvet dressing gown, deep red like cherries, embroidered with an intricate pattern. Next to that was a white thick cotton nightgown. She sighed happily. This was exactly what she needed here! Gaston was certainly generous. Clothes likes these didn't come cheap. He apparently thought she deserved it.

"Can I put it on?" she asked.

Madame smiled, "Of course you can. They are yours."

Belle quickly put on the nightgown. It fitted her perfectly.

"Sit in front of the fireplace so your hair can dry." Madame Beaumont poured Belle a cup of tea.

Belle took a sip of her tea. It still tasted strange, but she didn't want to start about her tea again. Madame was probably right that it was her imagination. That was why she was here, after all: that vivid imagination.

Out of nowhere, all of a sudden there came loud screams from the hallway - louder than Belle had ever heard here. It was definitely not in her imagination. It was frightening; it sounded like someone was going to be killed! She looked at Madame. "What is going on out there?"

"Nothing! You should be used by the sound of some of our patients by now," Madame said carefully, not taking her eyes off Belle. "Drink your tea."

Belle did her best to ignore the screams, but she simply couldn't. They were too loud. It would probably be better if she just stayed here and finished her tea, but she couldn't. She had to know what was happening. She put down her tea and walked to the door.

"Belle, stay…" Madame said with a hint of warning in her voice.

Belle didn't listen. She had gotten used to hearing the screams of Crazy Anne at night, but this was different. This person sounded like she was being skinned alive! Besides, all the women were supposed to be in the garden till dinner. Belle stood up and ran towards the sound. She saw a door closing at the end of the hall.

"Belle, get back here!" Madame Beaumont yelled, still standing in the doorway of her office.

Belle hesitated before she opened the door, but she had to find out where the sound was coming from. Who was screaming like her life depended on it? Behind the door was a staircase going down. She had no choice; she had to find out.

Slowly she descended the stairs. She recognized this place: it was where she had been taken on her first day here. It seemed so long ago. She passed the room where that woman had scrubbed her. Back then she hadn't notice it, but the hall was filled with doors. In every door there was a small window. Belle's heart started pounding in her throat. She still heard the screams, but couldn't detect where they came from.

The first room was almost empty. The room was dark, the only light coming from the hall. Belle could see there was straw on the floor. And then she saw a girl, sitting quietly in a corner. There was a bandage around both her wrists. The girl didn't seem to notice that someone was looking at her. Her eyes were open but she wasn't looking at anything particular. She was staring into space. Her mouth was hanging open a little.

The second room was much bigger, but just as dark. At least five or six women were chained to the wall. It made Belle feel sick to her stomach. Then by the third door, she saw who was doing the screaming she'd heard. "Oh my God!" she screamed. "Stella!"

Inside Stella was being held and stripped of her clothes by two male caretakers. A servant girl was filling up a bath tub with ice cubes. The tub was almost full. They couldn't seriously do this! This was pure torture!

Belle saw that on the other side of the room, Monsieur d'Arque was standing with a small smile on his lips, terribly amused by the whole scene. He nodded. Stella kept screaming and kicking, but with great ease, the two men lifted her up and put her in the tub. As soon as Stella's body hit the ice, she started to scream louder. The terrible sound went right through the walls. One of the men held her down, while the other covered the tub with a big wooden lid, only leaving room for Stella's head. She was completely trapped!

Belle could see that Stella was trying to lift the lid, but it was too heavy. The people in the room still hadn't seen Belle and, due to Stella's screams, they didn't hear her either. She was reaching out for the doorknob when Madame Beaumont caught up with her.

"Let's go, Belle," Madame Beaumont said, taking Belle's arm and leading her away from the door. "There are things a future bride should not see."

"Madame Beaumont, what is this girl doing here?" Monsieur d'Arque demanded as he stepped out of the room, carefully closing the door.

"I'm very sorry, Monsieur d'Arque, she escaped."

"What are you doing to Stella?" Belle asked. She tried to look through the window again, but they pulled her back further, back toward the stairs.

"Stella was causing a riot," Monsieur d'Arque explained calmly. "She needed to cool down."

"With an ice bath? She'll freeze to death!"

"She will not be in there for the entire day, mademoiselle," he explained with a shrug. "45 minutes is usually enough. Then the blood will be cooled down and so will she."

"45 minutes?" Belle was getting more agitated by the minute. How could that man stand there while someone was being tortured only a few feet away? He had probably ordered it himself! "You have to get her out there now! She won't survive!"

"Mademoiselle, we are used to taking care of people like Stella," Madame said. "We know what we are doing."

"You can't do that to her!"

Monsieur d'Arque had had enough. He stepped up close to Belle and hissed: "Do you want to know what I can do?" A servant girl came out of the room, carrying a bucket filled with ice cubes. He beckoned the girl to come over and quickly exchanged a look with Madame Beaumont. "I'll show you what I can do!"

The girl put the bucket on a nearby table and left. Without warning, Madame grabbed Belle's wrists and plunged her hands deep into the bucket of ice cubes.

"Hey!" Belle yelled. For a moment it felt cold, but it wasn't too bad. What was Stella screaming about? Was Stella really only making a scene, the regular behavior of a lunatic?

Then the cold penetrated her skin and went straight into her bones. _Oh God! _It felt like a thousand knives were sticking into her flesh. And to think she had complained about the chill in her cell! This was a thousand times worse. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, At least not about anything but the pain. Madame kept holding her. Tears filled Belle's eyes. "Let go of me! Please!"

Monsieur d'Arque shook his head. "Not until you calm down."

"I'll behave, I promise!" Belle begged. She couldn't stand this pain for one more minute. To think that Stella had to be in there for 45 minutes! "But please get Stella out, she-"

"If you don't control yourself, I'll fill the bath tub myself."

At that moment, another girl was dragged into the bathroom. She was kicking and screaming like Stella had been a few minutes ago. Stella's screams had already stopped. Belle could still hear some protests, but they were getting weaker by the second. It scared her. These people wouldn't hesitate to do the same to her.

"Women must learn to keep their thoughts to themselves," Monsieur d'Arque stressed.

"I will," Belle said meekly. Seeing her compliance, Madame Beaumont let go of her. Belle looked at her hands. They were a fiery red. The feeling of knives in her skin stayed. She kept rubbing them to get them back to a normal temperature. She swallowed. She didn't want to cry, not in front of them. _I have to get out of here – I don't care how._

Barely knowing where she was walking, she allowed them to bring her back to her cell. There could not be a worse place on earth than this asylum. This was hell. And there was only one man who could get her out of here.

"Where is Gaston?" she asked before they closed the door on her. Even if she didn't exactly remember everything about being engaged, staying here wasn't going to bring the answer.

"Who?" Monsieur d'Arque asked indifferently.

"Gaston de Soleil! My fiancé!"

Monsieur d'Arque and Madame stepped into the cell, both staring at her with narrowed eyes. "I was under the impression you didn't remember being engaged," Monsieur d'Arque said.

"I do remember it! I remember everything!" She started to pace up and down her cell. "Gaston courted me for several weeks, and then he came to propose to me and I accepted."

"And…"

"And I got cold feet! I got scared!" she continued quickly. She had to keep talking; otherwise she would really go crazy. "And my way of escaping is reading and I read this story about a prince in disguise. I made it all up!"

"That's quite a breakthrough," Madame said, surprised.

"Please, get Gaston! I want to leave and get married as soon as possible!"

"He'll be happy to hear that you've come to your senses," Monsieur d'Arque said. He looked out the window. "It will be dark soon. I'll send him a message to him tomorrow. No need to rush."

"NO!" Belle yelled. She was _not_ going to wait one more minute than needed. "I mean, I want to be with my fiancé, can't you send him a message now? Write him that he can take me home tonight? It's not that late, it's not even 5 o'clock! It only takes an hour to get here from the village." Half an hour, with Gaston's horse. That was good; if all went well she could be home within the hour!

"What about the dangers of the woods?" Madame Beaumont pointed out. "The wolves?"

"I'll be safe with Gaston."

* * *

"Lumière!" Adam yelled as he walked out of the library. "Lumière! Cogsworth!"

_Where are those two? Whenever you don't need them, they are with you all the time! But when you do need them… _he thought. He went back into the library looking over the maps of his kingdom. Frantically he scanned every single one, but couldn't find what he was looking for. Adam was desperate. He had to find it! He was certain it was the key to Belle's return.

"Cogsworth!" he yelled once more.

At that same moment Cogsworth and Lumière entered the library. "Here we are, your highness," Cogsworth gasped as he tried to catch his breath. "How can we be of service?"

Adam threw several maps off the desk. "Help me! I'm trying to find that village!"

Lumière picked up the maps, putting them on an empty chair. "Excusez-moi, your highness, but which one are you talking about?"

"Where we were the other day! The one near the woods!" Why were there so many maps of his kingdom? He had never been very good at geography or reading maps; to him they all looked alike! Not that he had ever been interested in the outside world, but that was not the point here!

"We have been to dozens of little villages," Lumiere pointed out.

"Where we met that hunter," Adam said. "That lackey called him Gaston."

"Ah. Montville!" Lumière answered. "That village was called Montville."

"That's not so far from here," Cogsworth added. He went over to the desk and looked through the maps, muttering to himself about the mess Adam had created.

"That's exactly what I wanted to know!" Adam said pushing Cogsworth aside. "We had been riding all day before we arrived in those woods."

"Here it is!" Cogsworth said as he pointed to a little spot on the map. "It's not that far from the castle."

Lumière looked at the map over Cogsworth's shoulder "Two hours from here."

"I'm going back there tomorrow," Adam announced, taking the map out of Cogsworth's hands. With a quill he circled the village on the map. He sat down at his desk and marked the road. Could it be that Belle was from Montville? It was not that far. If she had found her father in the woods, she would be home within no time. Then why hadn't she returned to the castle?

"There was something strange about that hunter. He knows something about Belle - I can feel it!" He blamed himself for listening to that man, letting his emotions take over. If he had been keeping his eye on his goal, he would have barged into that village and searched as thoroughly as he had done with all the other villages.

"Your highness," Cogsworth said after a moment of silence. "If I may be so free to give some advice."

"Yes, Cogsworth?"

"Use one of the royal carriages," Cogsworth continued slowly, weighing his words. "Dress up. Show that insolent peasant he is dealing with a prince."

Adam shook his head. "It's going to take longer to drive there by carriage."

"It might," Lumière added. "But Cogsworth is probably right. That man didn't know who you were. He can't act like that to royalty."

That was a good point. The hunter had probably guessed that Adam was nobility, and his rude behavior to his betters was unheard of, but even one as insolent as he wouldn't dare to cross a genuine prince. Adam could always throw him in a dungeon if he didn't tell what he knew about Belle. "Make sure everything is ready," he agreed. "First thing tomorrow morning."

* * *

Not much later, Gaston arrived at the asylum. He had been surprised when the messenger came to the tavern with Paul's letter. He had thought that it would take maybe half a week more before Belle would come to her senses. But no, a day had been enough. His speech had been more impressive than he had realized. Or Belle was more eager to become his wife than she had realized, he thought with a grin. According to Paul's letter, she was begging for him to pick her up this same evening.

Everything had gone according to plan, even better than he had pictured it. Tomorrow evening he would be a married man. Life was good. There was only one little bump in the road…but that he would solve tonight as well.

"How are things going with Maurice?" he asked as he dismounted his horse and walked up the stairs of the asylum.

"Not too bad," Paul answered. "His fever is almost gone."

"Good," Gaston nodded, satisfied. "What did he say when you told him?"

"He has been in bed over a week now. When he realized that he was in the asylum, it was easy to convince him that everything he told us about that beast was nothing more than a fever dream."

They walked through the hallways, on their way to Belle's cell. "Better a fever dream than a delusion." Gaston shrugged. "And what about Belle?"

"He asked if Belle knew where he was. When I told him she was devastated by the news, he said himself it would be best never to speak of the asylum again."

He grinned. That was also better than expected. "Belle is smart enough not to tell him anything."

"You can't avoid either one of them ever telling the other. It will happen sooner or later," Paul warned.

"Maurice is an old, sick man. He won't be around long," Gaston said confidently. _And with Maurice out of the way… _"Tomorrow Belle will be my bride. And after tomorrow night, she'll be my wife."

He ignored the look on his friend's face. They had arrived at Belle's cell door. With anticipation, Gaston looked through the observation window. He was very pleased with what he saw. Belle was pacing up and down her cell. She was wearing the velvet dressing gown he had left for her. With her hair loose, she looked absolutely perfect.

He opened the door. "Ah, there is my blushing bride."

* * *

"Gaston!" Belle cried as Gaston walked in. _Thank God, he's here! _she thought, overcome with relief. She ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. "Take me away from this place," she whispered. "Make me your wife."

Gaston removed her arms and stepped back. "You remember being engaged?" he asked.

She bowed her head in shame as a naughty child would do. "I'm sorry for everything I've said and done. I must have hurt your feelings by turning against you. Please forgive me," she said desperately. She needed his forgiveness. He had to take her away as soon as possible. She couldn't bear to spend even one more night here!

He didn't answer. Why didn't he answer? She looked back up to him, pleading. "Take me home, please!"

"Home?" he said, surprised.

"Yes, your home? Where we are going to live after the wedding?"

To her frustration, he still didn't answer her question. He didn't move. They were still standing in the middle of her cell. Was he here to visit her or to take her away? _He'_s my_ fiancé, _she thought, distressed at his lack of reaction. Couldn't heat least show a sign that he wanted to marry her? He should be jumping for joy that she was back to normal!They had been engaged for so long now!

"You sound like a new girl," he said after a long silence. "A complete change of heart."

That was it! That was what he was waiting for! He wanted to hear what had happened, how she was feeling! After all, she had been bouncing through emotions for the last week. She had yelled at him, spit in his face…if she had had the chance, she would have scratched his eyes out. And now she was begging him to take her home. No wonder he was suspicious!

"No change of heart, a change in me," she said, smiling as she shook her head. She had to tell him everything she was going through. She lifted one of his hands to her lips and softly kissed his palm. "Here, in my dark despair, I slowly understood that you are here to take care of me and protect me." She let go of his hand. "That's all I should be looking for in a husband. I'm the lucky girl for you have set your sights on me."

She looked up at Gaston and her heart skipped a beat. To her great joy, he smiled at her! He smiled! That was a good sign! It was perfect! He ran his hand through his hair. She could see he was flattered. This was good.

He cupped her chin in his hand and looked at her skeptically. "And the beast?"

She hesitated. One wrong answer and she would stay here forever. She took a deep breath and said: "No beast alive stands a chance against you."

"And?"

"And no girl for that matter," she added with a small smile. "At least not this girl."

"My girl," Gaston said as he let go of her chin. He wasn't simply looking at her now. He was staring at her with a determined look in his eyes. No, it was more than just determined. Hungry. His fingers trailed over her skin, following the line of her neck. His fingers went under the fabric of the dressing gown and touched her collar bone. She could see how his breath sped up.

Then she got an idea. She bit her lower lip. He might think her too bold. But if she couldn't persuade him with words… She stopped thinking before she could lose her nerve. She stood on her toes and kissed Gaston. Right before their lips touched, she realized that Gaston's eyes were the same shade of blue as Adam's. Quickly she pushed the thought of Adam away and focused on the thought that she was kissing her future-husband. She could feel some surprise from his side. But luckily he didn't seem to disapprove. A sigh of relief came over her. She closed her eyes and put her arms back around his neck.

This wasn't so bad. To be honest it felt good. His lips were warm and moist. It felt different from how she had imagined it. But then again, she had never imagined kissing Gaston. He was much more gentle than she had ever pictured him. Aside from the unusual surroundings, it was somehow romantic, like something from her books. The hero had found the heroine in the dragon's cave. Now he was going to rescue her and they would live happily ever after. And like all her stories, it had to end with a kiss.

"Open your mouth," he whispered, interrupting her thoughts.

That confused her. She wasn't sure if he was supposed to say that. They were kissing. Was there supposed to be talking when they were kissing? She didn't know. In her stories as soon as the hero and the heroine kissed, the story was over. They declared their love, their lips touched and that was the end.

But Gaston probably knew what he was doing. Uncertainly she slightly opened her mouth, waiting for something to happen. Gaston placed his hand on the back of her neck, putting more pressure into their kiss. It became more intense. When she opened her mouth Gaston's lips moved. He gently sucked on her upper lip. She felt a rush go through her stomach. It felt like butterflies. It went from her stomach to her toes and then to her head. Feeling a bit light-headed, she decided to open her mouth a little further, curious to find out what else was going to happen.

A second later her eyes flew open wide in surprise. That was not something she had expected! Although…it was not entirely unpleasant.

After a minute he let go of her and said softly, "Get dressed. We'll get married first thing tomorrow morning."

She brought her fingers to her lips. Her lips were tingling. "That will be the day my dreams come true," she said breathlessly.

"I know."


	8. Chapter 8, part 1

**A/N: Dear readers, I'm back! I know it took far too long, but life intervened and it's a complicated chapter! It also became a little bit too long, so I had to split it up in to two. At the beginning of the scene there is a time mentioned, it's about that time in the scene. Thanks again, Trudi, for beta'ing! So let's continue with: chapter 8.1!**

**Chapter 8**

19:00

A few moments later Belle closed the door of her cell. But this time she was on the right side of the door! She was now almost out of here! Finally! Within the hour she would be sleeping in a normal bed, and tomorrow she would have a normal tasty breakfast, with bread and a cup of normal tea. Before she came here she had taken all those things for granted. Now she was looking forward to the simple things in life. No adventures in the great wide somewhere, but just a nice home and someone who would take care of her. That was more than enough.

Gaston was waiting for her, and she noticed his displeased expression. _Oh no, what did I do wrong?_ she thought, distressed. "Is something the matter?" She smiled nervously.

Gaston raised his eyebrows and pointed at her. "Where is your red dress? The one I bought you."

Belle looked down at her own blue dress. There was nothing wrong with it that she could see. Due to the bad food in here she had lost a pound or two, so the dress was looser than before, but it still fit her. "It's cold outside?" she said, insecure. She held out the basket with the other clothes and soaps Gaston had gotten her. "I have it with me! Do you want me to change?"

"Not now. We're going back to the village as soon as possible." Gaston shook his head. He put his arm around her shoulder and started walking.

Belle walked along with him, but when they reached the main hall, she stopped. "Wait! I can't go!" she exclaimed. She removed Gaston's arm and took a few steps away from him.

"You want to stay?" Gaston asked in surprise.

"No! Of course not!" Belle reassured him immediately. More than anything she wanted to leave. But… "What about my father?" she asked. "I can't leave without him."

Gaston took her hands and sighed. It looked like he was not sure how to tell her something. He looked worried. Belle started to bite her lower lip. Her father couldn't be in such a bad condition, could he?

"Listen, Belle. Your father is not well enough to travel," Gaston said after a moment of silence.

_Not well enough? What happened here? He can't be worse than when we left our house. All he had was a bad cold!_ Belle closed her eyes and blamed herself. From the moment she came here, she should have insisted that she would take care of her father herself. But all she had done was worry about herself.

Now that she was going home, she would take action. She took a deep breath and said, "If we take a carriage and keep him warm, he should be fine." She smiled again, trying to look confident.

"All I have with me is my stallion," Gaston answered dismissively. "And there is only room for you and me."

"I'm sure Monsieur d'Arque would be willing to lend us his carriage." Belle gestured to the head of the asylum standing behind Gaston. "It will take a little bit longer, but with a carriage, we should be safe."

Gaston turned away from her. Belle couldn't see his expression anymore. She hoped she hadn't offended him. It was hard trying to be a loving fiancée and a good daughter at the same time. _It's good that I want to take care of my father. Gaston can't object to that? _

"Mademoiselle," Monsieur d'Arque said. "My carriage is being repaired at the moment."

"Then we'll have to postpone the wedding," Belle decided. It was only understandable that she wanted to do what was best for her father. Gaston had to understand that.

"WHAT?" Gaston yelled out of the blue. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"I-" Belle stuttered. Gaston's sudden anger frightened her. The last time she had seen him angry, it was when he had brought her here. "I can't get married without my father. Who is going to give me away?" she tried to explain her feelings.

Monsieur d'Arque stepped forward. "Mademoiselle, it can take weeks, maybe even months before your father is well enough."

"Gaston, we've waited for a long time now," Belle said slowly. How could he not understand what she was going through? Of course Gaston didn't want to postpone the wedding, after everything they had been through. But leaving her father here was just as bad. "Would a week or two really make a difference?"

"Fine. Suit yourself. Whatever you wish," Gaston shrugged. All of a sudden he looked very calm again. He turned away from her and walked to the main door. "Paul, bring her back to her room. I'll hear it when she's ready."

"No, wait!" Belle exclaimed. Tears were coming to her eyes. _Back to her room… He couldn't be serious! _She dropped the basket and ran over to Gaston. She grabbed his arm and tried to make him stop walking away from her. "I don't understand. What is wrong?"

"It's the only solution, Belle," Gaston explained to her as if he was talking to a young child. He replaced her hair behind her ear. "You don't want to get married till your father is feeling better, but you can't live alone and unmarried in your father's house without a chaperone. So it's better that you stay here."

"Gaston, no!" He couldn't leave her here! "I can't stay here!"

"Then which is it, Belle? You have to choose: Your father or me?"

_How can he be so cold? How can he expect me to choose between him and my father?_ She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to stay calm and make a rational decision. _Papa… what am I supposed to do? _She couldn't make one now. Not as long as she didn't know how her father was doing.

"Can I see him before we leave?"

As they walked over to Maurice' room, Belle got more nervous with every step. She had no idea how her father would be. If he was indeed as ill as Gaston and Monsieur d'Arque said, then she had to leave this place without taking him with her. That was an unbearable thought.

_Please let him be well enough to come home soon, _she prayed in silence. _Please let him be well enough. _After the wedding she would ask Gaston if her father could live with them. Gaston couldn't object to that, could he? Not after the wedding. He wanted to make her happy. This would definitely make her happy. She couldn't let her father live alone, at least not as long he was still recovering. Her father needed her.

"Your father is staying in a private room in the hospital wing," Monsieur d'Arque said. They were walking through a hallway, where it was much quieter. Belle didn't hear anyone screaming. Maybe this was not such a bad place for her father. He would need his rest. "Mademoiselle, remember, your father is still very sick. I advise you not to upset him by talking about the reason for your own stay here."

"I won't," she answered. Monsieur d'Arque knocked on the door and Madame Beaumont appeared.

_This is a good sign. If Madame Beaumont looks after Papa herself and not some ordinary maid, it must mean that he is properly taken care of,_ she thought with a smile. Gaston's money to pay for her father's stay here seemed to be well used. Once more she realized that she would never have another worry in the world.

"Madame Beaumont, how is our patient doing?"

"He has just finished his tea," Madame said. She stepped aside and let Belle and Gaston in. "Don't stay too long," she whispered as Belle passed her.

_Oh, thank goodness! _Belle was relieved when she saw her father. He was sitting up straight and he was reading a book. He didn't look as weak as when she was taking care of him, but he did look pale. She had to admit it could be worse; he could be unconscious or delirious from a fever.

Her father looked up from his book and let it drop to the floor. "Belle?" he said in surprise. "Is that really you?" He turned away the blankets and tried to get out of the bed.

"Oh, Papa!" Belle cried as she hugged her father tightly. She knew she missed him, but she hadn't realized how much till that moment. Only a week had passed since she had last seen him, but it seemed like years! "How are you feeling?"

"Much better now that you are here."

"How are they treating you?" Belle whispered as softly as possible.

"The doctor comes by every day," her father reassured her as he patted her on her back. "I'm finally feeling better. A few days more and the doctor says I can get out of bed for an hour. "

"That's good to hear," Belle said, swallowing away her tears. She had been worried for nothing. "I wish I could have visited you sooner. Only-" She stopped talking. She couldn't tell her father why she hadn't been able to visit him. Helplessly, she turned back to Gaston, hoping he could give a good explanation.

"Gaston?" her father asked as he looked over her shoulder. "Monsieur d'Arque said I have you to thank for the good care they give me here."

"Oh yes," Belle said, wiping her eyes. "Gaston has been very generous, papa."

"Thanks for all that you did, Gaston." Her father held out his hand to Gaston. "Madame Beaumont told me you have good news?"

When her father shook Gaston's hand he looked so grateful, Belle smiled. It meant a lot to her that her father and Gaston would get along. On the other hand, her father could get along with everyone. "Yes, Papa, Gaston proposed to me. And I said yes."

"Oh, my dear girl," her father smiled, putting his arms around her. Belle had trouble keeping back her tears when she felt how happy her father was for her. "Why the tears?"

"Only tears of joy," Belle said, letting out a soft laugh. She couldn't tell her father the truth. Not just yet.

"I will take good care of your daughter," Gaston said. "Just like I'm taking good care of her father."

"I always knew Belle would find herself a good husband," her father said with a smile, caressing her hair. "Remember when I said to you that you should think about Gaston?"

"You were right, Maurice! Belle couldn't get a better husband," Gaston answered, placing a hand on her shoulder.

All Belle could remember was that her father had mentioned that Gaston was a handsome fellow. Now she realized that Gaston was much more than just handsome. He would be there for her when she needed him. Her father had probably already seen something in him that she hadn't seen before. She took Gaston's hand and squeezed it. She had made a good decision in accepting Gaston's proposal.

"Well, children, when will the wedding be?" her father asked with a smile.

"First thing tomorrow morning," Gaston said before Belle could open her mouth.

"Gaston thinks we should get married as soon as possible." Belle sat down on the bed and took her father's hand. For a moment she didn't care about Gaston getting angry or not. "I wish you could be there, Papa."

Her father shook his head. "Nonsense, Belle. You shouldn't wait for me." He put her hand in Gaston's. "Get married and get happy."

"Oh Papa!" Belle cried, hugging him once more. She hadn't had any doubt about getting her father's blessing when she would get married. Only now that it was finally here, she was more emotional than she had expected, especially when her father wished them to get happiness.

Gaston looked out of the window. "Belle, we have to go. I want to be back in the village before dark."

"I'll come to see you as often as I can, Papa," Belle whispered when she kissed her father goodbye.

"We'll see each other soon, my dear," her father said with a wink. "Now off with you two love birds! Gaston is right, it will be dark soon."

Belle closed the door to her father's room and started to cry. "How can I leave him here?" she sobbed. She leaned against Gaston's chest. The guilt was going through her like a knife! No matter that her father was happy for them. It hurt!

"You heard your father: he wants you to get married," Gaston said impatiently. He started walking away from the hospital's wing. Belle just followed where he was going. "Belle, are you ready or not?"

_Am I ready? How can I be ready without my father there? _No… she shouldn't keep thinking that. Her father wanted her to get married, and he didn't mind that he couldn't be there. He just wanted her to be happy. But how could she be when he was not there? She wiped her eyes, swallowed and tried to stop crying. "Yes. Yes, I'm ready."

* * *

_20:00_

About an hour later, they arrived back in the village. Gaston rode over the bridge to the center square. Belle was leaning against his chest. She had stopped crying when they had left the asylum, but she was shivering when he lifted her onto the horse. In the asylum, there had been moments where he had been worried that Belle might actually favor her father over him! If she had done that, he would have left her in the asylum for the rest of her life. But fortunately, Belle had finally realized what the most important thing in her life was now. Him.

"Home at last," he sighed as he looked around the empty village square.

"Why are we here? I thought we would go to your house?" Belle said with chattering teeth.

"You will not stay in my house till we are married," Gaston smiled at her. He started to rub her back. He couldn't have the little woman getting sick before the big day!

"Oh, but shouldn't I then go to my own house?" Belle asked, confused.

He shook his head. "Like I told you earlier: a woman shouldn't live alone without a chaperone."

"Then where am I going?"

_How many questions can one girl ask? _With some difficulty, he kept smiling at her and stroked her hair. "Enough with the questions, Belle. I know what's best for you."

"I know," Belle said, but she looked at him in confusion. "But I just don't understand! You said we couldn't put off the wedding until my father recovers because I can't stay alone in my own house. But now it seems you're taking me somewhere else…so why couldn't I stay _there_ until Papa is better and can come to the wedding?"

Gaston gritted his teeth. She was really pushing him close to the edge. "Stop questioning my decisions!" he snapped, no trace of a smile now. Belle shrank back from his glare. "It is NOT a wife's place to question her husband. And the sooner you learn that, the better!" He took a deep breath, getting control of himself. "The simple fact is that we are getting married tomorrow, so you will only be staying at someone else's house for one night. We couldn't impose on anyone to let you stay with them for months on end while we wait for your father to get better. All right? Are you satisfied now?" he added sarcastically.

"Of course, Gaston," Belle said in a small voice. "I'm sorry." He could see she wanted to phrase a next question, but was looking for a way to make it not sound like one. "It's just…only if you don't mind…I'd like to know where I am going."

"Patience is a virtue," Gaston said as he patted her on her nose. He dismounted the horse and lifted Belle off. He took her hand and walked across the square to the largest house in the village. Well, almost as large as his own house, of course. "We are here."

"The mayor's house?" Belle asked. He looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. She was a quick learner, immediately correcting herself. "I mean, the mayor's house!" she repeated with an exclamation.

"Better," Gaston said as he knocked on the door. Seconds later the door opened and the mayor's maid stood in the door opening. "Yvette, you look lovely tonight," he said suavely.

"Gaston!" the girl swooned. The moment she saw him, she started playing with her hair and fluttered her eyelashes. "Is there something I can do for you?" she said with a deep sigh. Gaston smirked. He still had it.

"Who is it, Yvette?" a voice came from inside.

"It's Gaston!" the maid yelled. Then she noticed that there was someone standing behind him. "And… Belle?"

Not a moment later, the mayor and his wife were standing in the door opening. "Gaston, Belle, welcome to our home," the mayor said, opening the door to let everyone in.

"Belle, you look very pale and thin. Have you eaten yet?" Madame Chantil said as they walked into the house. She didn't wait for an answer. "Yvette, get Belle something to eat."

"I've just cleaned the kitchen," Yvette complained, but one look from the mayor was enough to make the maid take Belle with her.

As Belle was eating, Gaston softly spoke to the mayor's wife. "Madame Chantil, I would be most grateful if you could prepare Belle for tomorrow's ceremony."

"Oh of course, I'll tell her everything she needs to know," the mayor's wife nodded. "I'll teach her the vows and talk her through everything that will happen."

Gaston hesitated for a moment; there was one more thing Madame Chantil had to take care of. "And I want her prepared for tomorrow _night," _he added meaningfully.

"Tomorrow night?" the mayor's wife repeated. She looked embarrassed, but Gaston decided to ignore that. "Shouldn't somebody else-" she started.

"There is no one else. _I_ am her world, all she has. But this is not up to the groom," Gaston said determinedly. _On my wedding night I'm not going to waste any time talking. _"I don't want her to be afraid, I don't want her to be nervous," he explained. His wedding night had to be as perfect as the rest of his life would be. And one thing he couldn't use in his perfect life was a wife who was unprepared. "I don't mind it if she's curious, but I don't want her to ask too many questions. _I don't want her to talk at all. Except words of admiration. And awe. _

"I'll tell her what she needs to know," Madame Chantil agreed.

"Good, that's all I ask," he said, favoring her with one of his special smiles. He turned to Belle, who was walking back into the room. "Here she is. Belle, this is your last night as a single girl. Tomorrow afternoon you will be my wife."

"I hope I can wait that long," Belle said.

"Patience, honey," Gaston whispered as he kissed her. "One more night and then you'll be all mine."

Her lips were soft and he could feel she had never been kissed by anyone but him. Just the way he wanted it. Admittedly, the thought had occurred to him that the strange nobleman from the woods might have kissed Belle too. But now, he could say for sure that Belle had been his and only his.

When Madame Chantil coughed, he had to break the kiss. Reluctantly, he let go of Belle. "I have to go. I'll see you in the church tomorrow."

He was almost at the door, when Madame Chantil coughed again. "Gaston, aren't you forgetting something?" she asked.

"Like what?" Gaston shrugged. His plan was absolutely perfect! There couldn't be a thing he could have left out. Everything was arranged.

"Belle's wedding dress?"

_A dress? Is that all a woman can think about? _"I'm far ahead of you, madame!" Gaston snapped his fingers and beckoned Belle to come closer. "Belle, show Madame Chantil what I've bought you."

"Of course, Gaston!" Belle said quickly, as she took the package out of the basket and unwrapped it. She held the dress out in front of her body. Gaston smiled, it already looked good on her now. He would hardly be able to focus on the ceremony tomorrow.

"Oh no, Gaston! That won't do!" the mayor's wife gasped.

_Now what? _He turned to the woman and gave her another smile. "What's wrong with it?"

"The dress is red to begin with!" Madame Chantil pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. It will match my Sunday outfit," Gaston shrugged. He let his fingers trail over the dress, slightly touching Belle through the fabric. "We will look like the perfect couple," he mused.

"A woman can't wear red on her wedding day," Madame Chantil explained. Not that Gaston understood what she meant. Who cared that the dress was red? Belle would look great in it that dress. "Red dress symbolizes a certain kind of women?" she continued.

He pointed at the dress Belle was still holding. "That dress was very expensive!"

"Gaston, do you want me to put the dress on?" Belle asked. "I can show you how it looks, Madame."

"Do that, show Madame Chantil how good it looks on you," he said with a smirk. "You will be impressed." _You'd better be, or I'll teach you to be impressed._

* * *

_Oh my, this dress is tight! _Belle thought as she put the dress over her head. And she hadn't even tightened the laces on the bodice yet! It would be terrible if the seamstress had made a mistake with her measurements. What would Gaston say if she couldn't wear the dress he wanted to see her in! He had had it specially made for her.

There was no mirror, so she couldn't see how the dress looked on her, but it was something Gaston picked out for her. It must be good. It would at least be something Gaston liked. He had said he wanted to see her in this dress. He wanted her to get married in this! _It has to fit!_

She inhaled before she stepped back into the room, immediately realizing that breathing was not possible in this dress. _If Gaston wants me to wear this dress at the wedding, please don't let me faint when I walk down the aisle! _

* * *

"Now that's how my wife should look," Gaston said pleased when Belle walked back into the room. He had to admit that the triplets had done a very good job. They deserved more than a pat on the head for this.

Her blue dress apparently hid more than he had expected. The dress fitted Belle like a glove. Maybe she wasn't as voluptuous as the triplets, but the bodice of the dress was certainly well-filled. He would almost say it was beyond his wildest dreams.

He circled around Belle, looking at her appreciatively. Back or front, it was both perfect. "You look good," he said. And he meant it, he couldn't wait till tomorrow night.

Gaston grinned in approval as Belle smiled shyly and twirled. Not only was she now dressed like his wife, but the look in her eyes was exactly what he had always wanted from her. She was looking at him with admiration, wanting to please him. It wasn't official yet, but she was already his wife. That dress made her his.

Behind him he heard Madame Chantil gasping. He rolled his eyes before turning back to the woman. "Yes, Madame?"

The woman had pressed her hand against her chest and exclaimed: "It's terribly low cut! Gaston, you simply cannot let her wear that dress! What will the people say!"

_That I'm the luckiest man in this village!_ Gaston wanted to shout, but he saw the look in the eyes of the mayor's wife, he decided not to. He rubbed his eyes with one hand. So much for showing off his wife. Even though the woman might have a point: the men in the village would be jealous, but the women might not like it. He sighed. He had been looking forward to looking at Belle in that dress for the entire day! "Fine!" he finally said, raising his hands in defeat. "Get the seamstress out of her house and make something else. You have till ten o'clock tomorrow morning."

The mayor's wife shook her head. "A wedding dress in one night? That's impossible!"

Gaston had a very hard time controlling himself. The mayor's wife was pushing him over the edge. "Then you'll get some help! I'll go to the tavern and send the triplets over!"

* * *

_23:00_

It was getting late. Adam was still in his study. He hadn't used it for as long as he was under the spell, but now he had to use it. He was standing behind a large table with the map of the region in front of him. Now that he finally knew where Belle could be, he could take action. At the table sat Lumière, Cogsworth, the driver of the carriage and the captain of the guard.

"Is everything clear?" Adam said as he rolled up the map and gave it to the driver.

The man stood up and said: "I'll go take care of the carriage. It'll be ready first thing tomorrow morning, Your Highness."

Adam nodded and turned to the captain. "Captain, you can go instruct your four best men. I know it has been a long time since they had any practice and I hope we don't need their services, but prepare them to fight."

"You are acting like a true prince," Lumière said as he gave him a glass of wine.

"Thank you, Lumière," Adam answered gratefully. He appreciated the compliment. For the first time in his life he was planning his actions instead of rushing into things impulsively. When he had started the meeting, he had felt insecure. But in the end he felt comfortable with planning and preparing for everything that could happen tomorrow. Everyone had listened carefully to everything he said and without fear of him in their eyes. In return he had also listened to their suggestions without thinking why they had the nerve to speak to him. It was refreshing and it felt good.

Cogsworth coughed. "Your highness, do you think it is necessary to go to Montville with four guards?" he asked with a slight tremble in his voice. He was still sitting on the other end of the table and he hadn't said much during the meeting.

"As I said to the captain, I hope not," Adam answered. "In Montville there is a man who lied to me about Belle. If he dares to lie to nobility, he is probably capable of worse things."

That was Adam's second worst fear, besides Belle not wanting to return to him, that this man had something to do with Belle's disappearance. He didn't want to think about what that man could have done to Belle, but he would find out tomorrow. If he didn't find her tomorrow, he feared he would never see her again.

* * *

_0:00 _

"I'm so tired," Belle sighed with her eyes closed.

"Come on, Belle. One more time," the mayor's wife said impatiently.

Belle was standing on a stool, while Madame Chantil, the seamstress and the triplets were trying to make her a wedding dress in one night. She knew that she was supposed to be grateful, and she really was, but now that she was out of the Maison, she felt like she could sleep for a week. If she wasn't careful she would fall off this stool!

"You can go to bed the moment you've memorized your vows," Madame Chantil dismissed Belle's tiredness. She adjusted a few pins on the hem of the skirt. "If you don't remember your vows you will make a fool out of yourself in front of the entire village. And what's worse, you will embarrass Gaston. He will think you're not serious about your marriage." She looked up to Belle with an accusing look on her face. "You don't want that, do you?"

_No. I don't want that. _Belle breathed in deeply. She opened her eyes and repeated her vows out loud. "I am ashamed that women are so simple. To offer war where they should kneel for peace, or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway. I am bound to… to… Serve, love and obey."

'_Serve, love and obey', then what? What comes after that?_ She couldn't remember it!_ Come on Belle, you must know this! _Damn! She had to get this right! There was so little time left. "What comes after 'serve, love and obey'?" she asked with a desperate sigh.

"Why are our bodies?" Madame Chantil helped.

_Of course._ "Why are our bodies soft and weak…" As Belle continued, she could hear the triplets chattering softly in the back.

Belle had never been good friends with the triplets, or at least, she didn't remember it. She wasn't even sure about their names. She believed that Michelle was the one in the red dress, working on the veil, Simone was the one in yellow, working on the bodice of the dress and then the one in green was Veronique, who was working on the sleeves.

_Why are they here?_ she wondered. There were probably women in the village who were better with a thread and needle. Maybe Gaston wanted her to become friends with them? Why else would they be here? When she was married to Gaston she would have to become a more social person. Women would look up to her, because she was the wife of Gaston de Soleil. The triplets were her own age; maybe he thought that would make it easier for her.

She had to make a first step. Show interest in whatever they were interested in. "What are you talking about?" she asked friendly.

"Nothing, Belle," Michelle said with a smile. "Don't pay attention to us."

Veronique put down the sleeve she was working on. "It's no secret. I was wondering why you, you of all the girls in town!"

"I'm sorry?" Belle said in surprise.

Michelle shared a look with her other sister. "Veronique, don't start," she warned when Veronique stood up and walked over to Belle.

Belle didn't really know how to react. She had no idea what to say to that. She knew she had to feel honored because Gaston had chosen her. Only she hadn't realized that he had to disappoint other girls. Veronique was one of those girls. _Who else?_

Veronique's lower lip started to tremble and within a second she started to sob uncontrollably. "Why did Gaston pick you? A prudish bookworm!" she yelled as she pushed Belle. "He should have picked me! It's not fair!" She pushed Belle again, who now almost fell of the stool. It took both her sisters to pull Veronique back.

"Veronique!" Madame Chantil reprimanded her. "Control yourself!"

Belle stepped off the stool and wanted to walk over to the triplets, but hesitated. Now that she realized that she was Veronique's problem, she hoped there was a way she could comfort the girl. And if Gaston wanted her to, maybe she could be her friend.

Only when she tried to walk, she was held back by the seamstress. " You'll hurt yourself! There a hundred pins in this skirt!"

"Gaston has decided. There is no need for any further discussion." Michelle rubbed her sister's back as she gave Belle an apologizing look. "I think it's better that I take Veronique home," she mouthed.

Madame Chantil shook her head and helped Belle on the stool again. "You will do nothing of the sort! We have a lot of work to do! Veronique, clean your face and go back to your work."

"It's not fair," Veronique muttered, more to herself than to the other women in the room.

"Remember what Gaston said the other day," Simone said softly to her sister as she took the bodice on her lap again.

"What did Gaston say?" Belle informed curiously.

"That we should help you," Michelle said, she gave her sister her handkerchief and went back to working on the veil. "And that's what we are doing."

Somehow Belle felt that it probably wasn't the total truth about what Gaston had told the triplets. There was something Michelle wasn't saying, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Of course Gaston would have told them to help her with the wedding dress. Maybe tomorrow she would see things more clearly, when she wasn't so tired anymore.

"Belle? Your vows?" Madame Chantil asked.

"Why are our bodies…"

* * *

_The following morning, 08:00_

As soon as the rooster crowed, Gaston opened his eyes and jumped out of bed. This was the day! The day he had been waiting for so long. Within a few hours, Belle would be his wife and he would get rewarded for his patience. It had been a long hunt and as usual, he had won. Not that he had ever any doubts about the outcome. He smiled at his reflection in the mirror. How could a girl ever be able to resist him forever? They all gave in sooner or later. Belle was no exception.

He had to admit with Belle he had had to use more power of persuasion to get what he deserved, but he was pleased with how things had developed. Belle certainly had learned to appreciate him.

As he went downstairs he was pleased to see that the maid had already made him his breakfast. Tomorrow, he thought, self-satisfied, Belle would bring him his breakfast in bed. From that day forward, he would be woken up by her soft voice. Her soft lips. The lips he would kiss within a few couldn't wait! _Patience, man. Just a little bit more patience._

He looked out of the window and saw the mayor's house. He had to restrain himself from going there to check if everything was going according to plan. He would have done it if it wasn't bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony.

Then the solution came walking through the door. "Lefou, right on time! Everything ready in the church and the town hall?"

Lefou nodded. "The church is decorated. So is the town hall. Everyone is helping out to make this the biggest wedding ever!"

_They'd better be helping out! _"Well, it's only once that the town's hero is going to marry," Gaston smirked. He pushed the plate away. "I want you to go to the mayor's house and make sure that Belle is getting ready."

* * *

_09:00_

Adam kept looking out of the window of the carriage, trying to find a sign of Belle. They had reached Montville, and he hoped he would see her walking around somewhere. "Ride slower," he said to the driver. He didn't see Belle, but he did see a man with a bucket walking toward a small cottage next to the bridge.

He had planned to question every man, woman and child in this village till he found Belle. He leaned out of the window, but hesitated before he spoke. He had never associated with his subjects. Not before and certainly not during the spell. How did you address the regular people?

"Good man, do you know a girl named Belle de la Vallière or her father, Maurice de la Vallière?" he said, trying to sound confident.

At first the man didn't answer. He did look up, but seemed to think about something. He emptied the bucket in the trough next to the house, before looking back to the carriage again. "You're standing in front of their house," the man answered after a few more moments.

"Stop the carriage!" Adam yelled the moment the man had finished his sentence. He jumped out of the carriage and ran up the stairs, over to the door. "Belle! Open up!" he yelled, banging on the door. "BELLE!"

"I wouldn't bother to knock," the man said. He put the bucket next to the stairs. "They are not home."

"Then where is she?" Adam came down the stairs again. He resisted the urge to grab the man's collar and demand answers. He was so close now. He was not going away without answers! "Where are they?"

The man narrowed his eyes and looked at him suspiciously. "Why are you looking for Belle? What do you want from her?"

Adam had to take a deep breath to stay polite here. He had to, otherwise he would never get the answers he needed. He needed the man's help. "She is the woman I love and I want her to be my wife." He paused for a moment. "If she still wants me."

"If you truly love her, then you must be able to answer this question," the man said, more to himself than to Adam.

_What? A "question"? I have to proof I love Belle? This man is out of his mind! I don't have time for this!_ Adam was about to strangle the man. What if it was one specific detail about Belle's life here? How was he ever going to answer that?

"What is her favorite book?" the man asked.

"I know that!" Adam exclaimed excitedly. He and Belle had spent hours reading in the library! He then realized that Belle had a lot of books she called 'her favorite'. Would the man let him guess? "One of her favorites is 'King Arthur', but she also likes that one about… oh God, what's the title?" He looked helplessly at Lumière, who raised his shoulders. He looked back at the man. "Can you give me a hint? It's about far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells-"

The man raised his hand and Adam stopped talking. "Is your name Adam?" he asked.

For a moment, Adam didn't know what to say. "Yes, how did you know?" he asked, astonished. The man could not have recognized him. No one knew how the prince of their country looked now. The last time he had had a portrait made it had been years before the spell. This man couldn't know exactly who he was. Not even with the royal arms on the side of the carriage. The man couldn't be sure. "Who are you?"

"My name is Dijon. I have a bookshop in the village," the man answered. "Belle and Maurice are my friends. Ever since they disappeared, I've been taking care of their animals."

"They disappeared?"

The man beckoned them to follow him. "Let's go inside," he said as he walked to the back of the house. All of a sudden he stopped and pointed at the carriage. "Let your driver hide that thing behind the shed where no one will see it."

"Why so secretive?" Adam asked worried.

Unfortunately, Monsieur Dijon didn't answer. Nothing to make this easier. He opened the back door and let Adam go in first. Cogsworth and Lumière followed in silence.

Carefully, Adam walked through the kitchen into the living room and couldn't help smiling when he saw the walls covered with bookcases filled with dozens of books. It was a small, but decent house. Properly taken care off. He walked to the front door and studied the weird object hanging next to the hall. He could see who was on the other side of the door with it. _Probably one of her father's inventions. _

This was it. This was Belle's house. Breathless, he walked through the room. This was where she lived. She had been sitting on this couch, reading her favorite book. He could easily see her with her feet curled under her, totally absorbed by the story.

Monsieur Dijon coughed softly and Adam came back to earth. He straightened his shoulders and put his hands behind his back. "How do you know my name?"

"Because of the letter."

"Your Highness," Cogsworth said before Adam could ask for more details. He was standing at the table, holding a piece of paper. "You'd better read this."

Adam grabbed the letter out of Cogsworth's hands and quickly read it. "Belle made it home after leaving the castle! She was planning to come back!" he shouted. He couldn't be more relieved. Belle wanted to come back to him! He knew it! He looked at Monsieur Dijon. "Where is she?"

"You may want to sit down," Monsieur Dijon said as he sat down himself on one of the chairs. He waited for Adam to sit down as well. Lumière and Cogsworth stayed in the back and sat down at the table. "I must be honest, I don't know exactly what happened," he started. "It was shortly after Maurice left for the annual invention convention in Rouen. Shortly after that, Belle disappeared. I hadn't seen them for days."

"Then what happened?" Adam asked. He didn't want to interrupt the man, but he didn't want to lose too much time on talking.

"They returned." Monsieur Dijon explained briefly what had happened: how Maurice came back to the village one night, how he disappeared again, and then that night when the village had assembled at Belle's house.

"He has sent her away. To the Maison des Lunes," Monsieur Dijon sighed. He looked like he'd rather not explain anymore. "This region's asylum," he said softly.

Adam was almost too afraid to ask, but he had to. "Why did he send her?"

"The story around town is that Belle is having a nervous breakdown," Monsieur Dijon looked up to Adam and gave him a slight smile. "But if you know Belle, you know she would never have one."

"No, she's too strong for that," Adam agreed, but didn't smile. He had learned about Belle's strong character the moment she offered to trade places with her father. It had confused him. Later it was what he appreciated in her…and in the end, the reason for him to let her go. "She's still there?"

"Once you're in, you can never get out," Monsieur Dijon explained. "At least, not without help."


	9. Chapter 8, part 2

**As promised, here's part 2 of chapter 8! :D Enjoy!**

09:00 – 09:30

On the other side of the bridge, in the mayor's house, Belle was already awake, and had been for a long time. She had seen the sun come up. She had been tossing and turning for what felt like hours. She thought about getting up, but it was probably better if she waited for Madame Chantil to come and help her get ready for her wedding. She had no idea what to do with her hair, and her dress was still downstairs.

Although she had only slept for a few hours, sleeping in a warm bed, made her more relaxed and she finally had time to think about things. This was the best solution. She had to marry Gaston. And she was going to. This was the first day of the rest of her life. It was her wedding day. She would never have to worry about anything ever again. Gaston would take care of her and her father. She tried to feel happy and cheerful about her future, but there was so much pressure! Everything had to be perfect! _She_ had to be perfect. _I hope I can live up to his expectations…_

"Belle, are you decent?" she heard Madame Chantil say on the other side of the door.

She sat up straight and covered herself with the blankets. "Yes, come in!"

The mayor's wife came in, all smiles. She was holding the wedding dress. "Isn't it beautiful?" she said, pleased. "The seamstress and the triplets have worked all night to make you something stunning!"

"Oh my..." Belle stuttered as she stood up from the bed. She sighed as she caressed the fabric of the skirt. _It is so beautiful!_ This was more than she expected and more than she deserved. "This is too much…"

"A wedding dress is about displaying the wealth of the bride, her social status. As part of her dowry," Madame Chantil explained as she laid down the dress on the bed. She looked up to Belle and smiled. "Of course in your case, dear, there is no dowry. This is all Gaston's doing. Gaston will pay for everything you'll ever need."

Without Belle expecting it, the words and the smiles of the mayor's wife were hurting her pride. True, she wasn't as wealthy as Gaston, but she wasn't poor! She and her father had a good life. They weren't beggars, they had a good home, they had enough to eat!

"I do have a dowry," she said straightening her shoulders, making herself taller. "I mean, I have the beginnings of one!" She looked out the window, seeing her house in the distance. She ignored the feeling of being homesick. There was no time for that now! "In my room there are two trunks. I admit they aren't very full, but I do have some things! Tablecloths, linen and… other stuff!" She started to talk louder and louder. "I wasn't fully prepared yet, but I will be able to take care of him!"

The mayor's wife stood there in silence for a few moments, simply looking at her outburst. Belle sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed and put her head in her hands. "I will be a good wife to him," she said softly. "I will be a good wife to him…"

"My dear, don't be ashamed, this is very normal for a bride on the morning of her wedding," the mayor's wife sat down next to her and put her arm around Belle. "And in your case, with marrying Gaston de Soleil; I can understand you are tense."

"I want to be a good wife," Belle whispered. "I don't want to disappoint Gaston."_ I have to be a good wife to him… He can still send me back._

"That's a good start," Madame Chantil said as she undid the braid in Belle's hair and picked up the brush from the nightstand. "What do you say in your wedding vows?"

"To serve, love and obey him."

"As long as you keep that in mind, you will do fine," Madame Chantil said as she brushed Belle's hair. "Especially with a man like Gaston, you need to put him first, then your house, later the children, of course, and then yourself."

"Yes, I will."

There was another knock on the door and the mayor himself came in. "Clotilde, is everything alright in here?"

"Of course, dear. It's merely a case of cold feet," she looked at Belle. "But nothing that a cup of tea can't fix. Can you send Yvette with Belle's breakfast?"

"I don't think I can eat," Belle said, "I'm too nervous."

"Then at least have some tea."

Soon Belle was having breakfast as the mayor's wife walked through the room, getting Belle her shoes and some other things. _There is something strange about this tea,_ Belle thought. It tasted similar to the tea she was given in the Maison. _No, it can't be the same._ Madame Beaumont had always said that it had to do with the water. The water came from a different well. At her own house, she and her father had a private well only they used. Probably when she lived with Gaston the water would taste different as well. _I have to get used to a lot of things…_

"Let's get you into this dress," the mayor's wife interrupted her thoughts.

A few minutes later when she had the dress on, Belle looked in the mirror and her mouth fell open. She looked like a different woman. Which was good. She was different now. She was a bride and wife-to-be. After this morning she would be Madame Gaston de Soleil.

"You look lovely, Gaston will be so proud when he sees you."

"That's... That's all I can hope for." Belle looked from her reflection at the mayor's wife, who looked as if she wanted to say something. "Madame Chantil? Is something wrong?" she asked as she looked down at the dress to see if there were any stains or tears. No, nothing. The dress looked absolutely perfect. She looked perfect. _I hope Gaston likes it. It's not the dress he picked out for me._

"No, there is only one more thing Gaston asked me to talk you about."

Belle looked up and turned to the mayor's wife, who was now looking really nervous. More nervous than Belle felt. "About the ceremony? Isn't it a little late for that?"

" No, about what happens _after_ the ceremony," Madame Chantil murmured as she adjusted the bow on the back of Belle's dress. "About tonight. Your wedding night."

"Oh. About tonight," Belle said, realizing what the mayor's wife meant. She swallowed nervously. She had been so focused on the wedding that she hadn't even thought about what would happen afterwards - what Gaston would certainly expect of his new bride on their wedding night. For a moment she wanted to dismiss the mayor's wife and go to the church. But Gaston wanted her to listen to the mayor's wife. He had asked it. Maybe she had some advice. "All right," Belle said, feeling a bit faint. "What do I need to know?"

* * *

_09:30_

"Gaston is not a bad man, not as long as you do as he says," the bookseller concluded his story. "But he can be dangerous if you deny him what he thinks is his."

"Like Belle," Adam sighed. He knew it. That man meant trouble! How could he have been so stupid not to go into Montville when he was here days ago? He closed his eyes. How could he have been so stupid to let Belle go to her father alone? He should have given her a carriage to look for her father and bring him to the castle! Why did he let her go?

In frustration, he jumped up from the couch. "You should have stopped him," he accusingly pointed at Monsieur Dijon. "Why didn't you stop him?"

"I'm sorry, monsieur, but what could I have done? I have no means, no power," Monsieur Dijon apologized. "All I could do was pray that Belle and Maurice are strong enough to survive the Maison des Lunes."

_Strong enough to survive… _"I have to go! I have to save Belle!" Adam shouted. "Where is that asylum?"

"Just follow the road. It's about an hour's journey from here."

* * *

_10:00 – 10:30_

_I wish Papa could be here…_

Belle tried to keep herself together as she walked to the church on the mayor's arm. _Please don't let me stumble. Or stutter. Or forget my vows. _

When she entered the church, she straightened her shoulders. _Look at all the people! _There were a lot more people than she had expected. The entire village was there and everyone looked their best. The church was decorated with flowers and if she wasn't so nervous she would have a chance to admire it. All she could do was make a mental note to compliment Gaston for arranging all this in only a day. No, not compliment Gaston…compliment her husband. _He's going to be my husband._

She swallowed and tried not to think about everyone watching her, or the fact that everyone stood up when they saw her and the organ began to play. The only important person in here was the man at the other end of the aisle. _I can do this!_ She imagined herself to be the perfect bride and smiled at the people and started walking. She looked at Gaston, who was very handsome in his Sunday outfit, his white pants, yellow vest and the fancy red coat. She really had to consider herself lucky with such a handsome husband. People would envy her, because she was his wife.

With a small nod the mayor put her hand in Gaston's. Gaston smiled, which was good. He was glad that this day had finally arrived. He was proud of her; she could see it in his eyes. _Thank God! That's one thing less to worry about!_

"Perfect," he said as he removed her veil. He caressed her cheek with his hand, gently touching her lips with his thumb. "Absolutely perfect."

Before Belle could say anything, the priest coughed and started the ceremony : "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join this man and this woman in matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men; and therefore – is not by any – to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly – but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined."

* * *

10:30

It had cost Adam all his strength to control himself during the ride to the asylum. Besides the words of the bookseller, he had heard stories about places like this- places you wouldn't send your worst enemy to. He didn't want to think what could have happened to Belle in there. All he could do was pray that she would be well.

About an hour later, they arrived at the grim-looking place. The gate was open and they rode in. It was strange: there was no sound, no birds or other animals. Just the wind.

Adam banged on the door and a meek, pale girl opened the door.

"Tell the overseer that his Royal Highness, Prince Adam, has arrived," Cogsworth said pompously.

Nothing happened. It wasn't clear if the girl had understood what Cogsworth had said. She just stood there.

Adam looked at Cogsworth and Lumière. He wondered if he should barge in or not. Of course he was now the prince of this country again and he could barge in anywhere he wanted. Nobody could stop him.

"Maybe she's deaf," Lumière suggested.

At that word, the girl immediately shook her head.

"Mute then," Adam muttered. "Look, I want to talk whoever is in charge."

The girl curtseyed, but she didn't move. She stood there, scared to death. The girl was then pushed aside by an older woman. She opened the door and said: "Marie, go do something useful."

"Are you in charge here?" Adam asked impatiently.

"Yes, my name is Madame Beaumont, how can I help you?"

Cogsworth stepped forward and addressed the woman. "This is Prince Adam and he is looking for one of your inmates, Belle de la Vallière."

Madame Beaumont curtseyed as well, as low as she could. "Your Highness! It's such an honor to have you here!" She said with a broad smile. "Only unfortunately, there is no one here with that name."

"I've been told she is here," Adam insisted. He was getting impatient. This time he wouldn't be sent away. He would stay here as long as necessary to find Belle.

"You've been misinformed," the woman said, still with the same smile. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

It did confuse Adam. The bookseller had been very friendly. He seemed to have Belle's best interest at heart. He wanted Adam to rescue Belle. He couldn't be wrong. Belle had to be here.

"Belle was nice," a soft voice behind them said.

Adam looked over the shoulder of Madame Beaumont and saw a girl in rags standing in a door opening. The girl had wrapped her hands around her as if she were very cold.

"What did you say?" Adam asked as he walked over to her.

Madame Beaumont walked over to the girl, grabbed her firmly by the arm and pushed her back into the room she came from. "Keep your mouth shut, Stella," she hissed. "Stay here! Or we'll have to put you in the tub again!"

_I knew it! That girl knows something about Belle! Belle was here!_ "Let go of her! I want to hear what she has to say!" Adam bellowed at the woman. He turned to the girl and said firmly: "Speak!"

The girl took a few steps back in fear, landing on the couch. When Adam stepped in her direction, the girl flinched and yelled, "Please don't hit me!"

Adam sighed. It was nearly impossible to be patient. He wanted to find Belle and he was so close now! This girl, who might be a crazy inmate, knew something about her! And now she thought he was going to hit her! What was going on here? And if this girl was in such a bad state… how would Belle be doing? _No, Belle is strong. She will be all right. She has to be!_

Lumière stepped forward and coughed softly. "Your Highness, the girl is frightened. If we want to find Belle, we must be gentle." He sat next to the girl on the couch and said soothingly, "Your name is Stella, right? It is all right, do not be afraid. We are looking for Belle. Do you know her?"

Stella nodded. "She is my friend. I-" She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Madame Beaumont, who has not looking very friendly at the moment.

Adam and Cogsworth stepped between the girl and Madame Beaumont. "You don't have to be scared. No one will harm you," Adam said, trying to sound as calming as Lumière, which was more difficult than he thought.

"I haven't seen Belle since last night," Stella said. "I think her fiancé took her."

_Her fiancé?_ Adam thought, shocked. _What fiancé? There is no fiancé, besides me! _But before he could ask another question, a thin man walked into the room.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the man said.

"May I present to you His Royal Highness, Prince Adam," Cogsworth introduced Adam.

"Your Highness," the man said as he bowed deeply. "My name is Paul d'Arque. I'm the head of this institution. We are honored to have you pay us a visit. And so unexpectedly! When did you return to France?"

"Recently," Adam said. He didn't have time for polite conversation! And he didn't have any explanation for his absence from his country. He turned back to the girl. "Belle's fiancé?"

Stella nodded with a broad smile. She was also getting some color back on her cheeks. "He's big and handsome!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Belle told me all about it. He is so romantic, he proposed to her at sunset!"

_Either this girl is really crazy or… _"Do you know his name?" Adam said slowly.

"Oh I do! It's Gaston, and he's really handsome and tall, he has these big muscles like he could lift a horse with one hand!"

Adam closed his eyes_. Gaston?_ He had been so close… _This can't be happening…_

"Don't listen to her, Your Highness," D'Arque said quickly. "Stella has a lively imagination. That's why she's here. Women with a tendency to live in a made-up world have to be re-educated." He opened the door ."If you come this way, I'll show you-"

Adam couldn't control himself anymore. He wrapped his hands around the man's neck and pushed him against the wall., growling, "All I want to know is: WHERE. IS. BELLE?"

"She's not here anymore!" Monsieur d'Arque gasped out. Adam's grip was so tight the man could hardly breathe. Adam could feel his pulse throbbing in his throat. "Only her father is still here. We've been taking care of him during Mademoiselle de la Vallière's recovery."

"Recovery from what?" Adam asked as he let go of the man, who fell to the floor, coughing, his hand on his throat.

"She had a nervous breakdown when her fiancé proposed. Nothing special. It happens all the time to the fairer sex." Monsieur d'Arque stood up, wiping the dust of his pants. He gave Adam a slight smile. "It's good to see that our prince is so interested in the life of a peasant girl from Montville, but I assure you that Mademoiselle de la Vallière has made a very good match. Even her father said so."

_Her father… How could she leave her father here? _Adam was in doubt. His mind was spinning with everything he had heard today. Belle locked up in an insane asylum. Engaged. _Something is very wrong here._ More than anything he wanted to go back to the village. He had to find out where that Gaston guy was keeping Belle. On the other hand, Belle was already out of this hell hole and her father was still here. Belle would probably never forgive him if he left her father behind. "Where is her father?" he asked.

"In the hospital wing."

Moments later Adam was standing in the bedroom. It felt like forever since he had last seen Belle's father and had locked him up in the tower. It wasn't his happiest memory. He was feeling more guilt than he had ever thought it possible he could feel.

"How can I help you?" Belle's father asked.

"I am… I am… Adam," he stammered. He was at a loss for words. He wanted to explain to Belle's father what happened. Apologize. He had thought about it a lot after he had released Belle. He wanted to ask her father for forgiveness, for everything that he had done. But now that the moment was there, he didn't know how to start. "This is not the time, monsieur," he finally said.

"Then what can I do for you?"

"I've come to bring you to my castle," Adam improvised. He would deal with apologizing later. He would explain it later. When Belle was with him, she could probably explain it better. And for that, he had to find Belle first.

"Your castle?"

"There is no time to explain this all," Adam continued quickly. "I'm taking you away from this place." If he rescued Belle's father, he had at least paid back this part of all what he had done wrong in his life.

"I'm not well enough to travel," Belle's father said as he put away his book.

Adam frowned. The man was looking better than he had done when he was locked up in the tower in his castle. "You look healthy to me," he said uncertainly.

Her father shrugged. "Yes, I feel good, but the doctor says I have to stay in bed for another week."

"In my castle, I'll let my own personal physician look after you," Adam decided. When he was younger he had a personal physician. He wasn't sure if the man had been in the castle at the time of the spell. "I'm a nobleman, I can take better care of you than they can here."

As Adam and Belle's father walked through the hallways, back to the carriage, they were stopped by the head of the asylum. "I'm taking this man away from this place," Adam said as he walked by him. He was not going to be stopped. He would get Belle's father out of here and then he would go look for Belle in Montville. What could that Gaston do to her?

"I can't allow that!" Monsieur d'Arque protested. "This man is too ill to travel!"

"You have no say in this matter anymore," Adam said confident. "You are relieved from your duties, monsieur!"

"You cannot do that!" Monsieur d'Arque.

Cogsworth coughed behind their backs. "I have to disagree," he argued. "He is your prince, he can do whatever he wants."

"Our prince?" Belle's father asked, confused.

"Yes, I'll explain it later!" Adam said. He turned to Lumière. "Lumière, you take the carriage and bring Belle's father back to the castle."

"Wait…" her father said. "Wait! You know Belle? How does my daughter know a prince?"

Adam sighed. He didn't know what to say. He didn't have time for this! He had to think how to get back to Montville as soon as possible! There were four horses in front of the carriage, but two would be enough. Adam ordered the guards to remove two of them. That way, he could go back to look for Belle. "Get him a doctor, Lumière. A real doctor."

While Lumière and the guard supported Maurice to get to the carriage, Stella had followed them. She clung on to Lumière's other arm. "Take me with you!" she whispered. "I don't want to stay here."

Lumière looked hopelessly from the girl to Adam. "Sire?"

Adam wasn't too keen on bringing a delusional girl with him, but the girl did deserve a reward for bringing him closer to Belle. He couldn't let her stay here. He nodded. "Yes, you can take her with you, Lumière."

"Very well. But where are you going, sire?" Lumiere asked.

"I'm going back to Montville," Adam decided. He had done everything he had to do here. "I'm going to look for Gaston, he must have hidden Belle somewhere."

"Why would he hide Belle?" Belle's father asked as he stepped into the carriage. "He's going to marry her today."

"HE'S WHAT?"

* * *

_11:30_

In Montville's church the ceremony was almost over. Gaston was holding Belle's hands as she was halfway through her vows.

"I will hold my temper and will meekly put my hand 'neath the sole of my husband's foot in token of which duty, if he please, my hand is ready, may it do him ease," she said. Not really paying attention to what she said, as long as she said everything she had memorized.

_Pfew, that's over!_ she thought, relieved. Her heart jumped. She had done it, without making mistakes, without stuttering. Now all that was left was the 'I do' part and then she would be safe. Safe and married to the most powerful man in the village and no one would ever try to harm her ever again. She smiled at Gaston and softly squeezed his hand. She couldn't see what he was thinking. Was he proud of her?

After a few moments of silence she realized something was not right here. The priest should continue with the ceremony. Madame Chantil had told her that the priest would continue with the final part after her vows! Only… he didn't. The priest was looking at her, Gaston seemed to be waiting for something as well, and the rest of the people in the church were also staring at her. This was not good. _Oh no, what did I forget? I did say everything right, didn't I? Love, honor and obey, hold my temper and-_

"Kneel," the priest whispered softly. "Belle, you are supposed to kneel."

Belle wasn't sure she had heard it correctly. Did he really say that? She had to kneel? Was he serious? Kneel? In front of the entire village? "Excuse me?" she asked out loud.

"It's custom for the bride to kneel before her future lord and master," the priest continued softly.

_My lord and master?_ Belle had thought Gaston was going to be her _husband,_ not her lord and master. _I'm not his dog or his horse!_ She would be his wife. He would take care of her because he loved her. And she would take care of him in return. Kneeling didn't seem right. "Gaston?" She looked up at Gaston, hoping he would tell the priest that it was not necessary. But he didn't say anything, he just looked at her expectantly.

"It's customary," the priest repeated more sternly.

_He really wants me to kneel? _Belle still hesitated, but she realized that she had to do it. Gaston cared a lot about appearance; he had a reputation to uphold. And now… so had she. She looked around the church and could already see a few people whispering. _What if they think I don't want to marry Gaston! What if he thinks I am having second thoughts!_

As quickly as she could she curtseyed and stayed down there. She lowered her eyes and prayed everything would be over soon. _Why didn't Mme Chantil tell me about the kneeling? _The whispering stopped. _Please let the priest continue, please let him continue, please let him continue! _

Then Gaston took her hands and helped her up. He smiled at her. _Oh thank God! I haven't embarrassed him! _Somewhere in the back of her mind it did disturb her that Gaston seemed pleased about her kneeling in front of him. But that was probably just because she did what the customs asked her to do.

Gaston wouldn't see himself as her lord and master. He had said he loved her. Yes. That was it. He was happy as well that it was almost over. He probably thought the ceremony was too long and boring. _Yes, that must be it._

She then noticed the priest, who was tapping impatiently with his foot.

"When you are done, let's continue," the priest sighed. He closed his Bible and did the rest by heart. "Gaston Armand de Soleil, do you take this woman, Belle Louise de la Vallière, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as you both shall live?"

Belle felt how her heart was pounding in her throat. Her breath became more shallow. She looked at her shoes, trying not to think what would happen if Gaston changed his mind.

"Of course," Gaston replied.

_Thank you, good Lord. I'll never ask for anything else in my life! _

"Belle Louise de la Vallière, do you take this man, Gaston Armand de Soleil, to be you wedded husband. Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and forsaking all other keep yourself only unto him so long as you both shall live?"

Belle nodded and smiled at Gaston. "I do. With all my heart."

"I now pronounce you man and wife," the priest said with a small smirk around his lips. "You may now kiss your bride."

"Not my bride," Gaston muttered softly as he leaned in to kiss Belle. "My wife. Belle is finally all mine!"

As Belle closed her eyes and let Gaston kiss her, she smiled when she heard the villagers start to cheer. Now he couldn't send her back to the asylum anymore! She was Gaston's wife. _At last!_


	10. Chapter 9

A/N Hello people! Thank you all for your patience (although, this update didn't take as long as the previous one!) We are almost at the end of the story, it is time for the finale! Thanks to Lauren for several ideas and the brainstorming, thanks Trudi for beta'ing it twice and all your feedback, Carrie, Nikki, Erica, and all the others :) I really appreciate all your help!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

As fast as the horses could go, Adam, Cogsworth and the guards rode back from the asylum to the village. Adam's mind was racing as fast as the horses. It couldn't be too late! It was simply not possible! Belle couldn't be married to that Gaston! She wouldn't do that to him! She had said that she loved _him_, that was why he was human again! And if she loved him, she couldn't marry someone else! And definitely not that damned hunter! He must have tricked her into this.

But how…? Belle was too smart to be tricked. Belle was able to see more in the Beast than his fur, his fangs. She was able to see that there beyond the exterior. If she could do that, then she should easily be able to see right through a man like that Gaston!

What had that man done to his love?

For a moment Adam closed his eyes and tried not to think of all the bad things that could be going on in Montville at the moment, but it was impossible! The only glimpse of hope was the thought that Belle's father had been truly ill and delirious due to the fever – surely Belle wouldn't get married without her father present. But if Belle really WAS going to marry that man today, what was left for him then? How could he continue without the woman who had freed him?

"Your Highness," Cogsworth panted as he tried to catch up with Adam. He was having a hard time staying on his horse, and almost fell out of the saddle. "Your Highness, if I may…"

"What?" Adam snapped.

He knew his majordomo had never been a skilled horseman, but that was not important now. He had to get to the village as quickly as he could! Where was that Enchantress when he needed her? Didn't she have some way to magically transport him to Montville right now? He was losing precious time!

"Sire, Belle could be married by now!" he heard Cogsworth shout.

"Don't remind me!" Adam yelled over his shoulder. "I lost her once, I am not going to lose her again!"

* * *

She had to obey him now. That was her solemn oath, stated in her wedding vows. She had promised to serve and obey him. That's how it was dictated by state and church. She was his!

Gaston was all smiles as he walked back from the church to his house. He and Belle would be the perfect couple and the perfect example to everyone else in the village. Of course, _he_ was already the symbol of the perfect man in the village, but with Belle he would portray the perfect life.

It was all for the best. A woman needed a man to be complete. A man could live on his own, but a woman needed a man to survive. And especially a woman like Belle. She was far too independent. Her father had given her too much freedom and all those books and stories had given her dangerous ideas. With his guidance she would give up everything she had once known.

"Welcome to my house, Madame Gaston de Soleil," Gaston said as he kissed Belle. He carried her over the threshold and put her back to her feet. "You will like the place."

"It's enormous," Belle said, nodding.

She looked pleased with the house. How could she not be? Gaston patted her on her head. "And not just the house," he whispered in her ear. "You will be impressed later."

"With what? The garden?"

He threw his head in his neck and let out a booming laugh. "Good joke, Belle," he said, smirking. If she was thinking about the garden she would be in for a big surprise! "The garden!" he snickered.

He opened the door to the living room and walked in. The entire village had already gathered here and in the garden. Belle looked shy as she followed him. His wife wasn't used to being the center of attention. She would learn fast enough. Starting tomorrow, respected wives like the mayor's and vicar's wife would show her the tricks.

One of the triplets gave him a mug of beer. "Thanks, Veronique," he said with a wink, to make sure she wouldn't be too sad about losing the chance to marry him herself. The poor girl.

He turned to the crowd and gave them his famous smile. He took a swig of beer. _This __tastes __good, _he thought, pleased_._ He would have a lot more of these tonight! He raised his mug and started his speech. "Friends, it was a long hunt, but I can finally say: she's mine!" he said as he placed his arm around Belle's waist.

He looked at his wife and could barely control himself. He swallowed the last bit of beer and wiped his mouth with his sleeve before pulling Belle closer to him. He kissed her intensely on her mouth. He could feel his bride was surprised, but he could also feel her enjoyment. Exactly how he wanted her to react. Good to know that she was not submissive, when he kissed her. It would actually be better if she wrapped her leg around his; that way she would be even closer to him. But he could teach her later what she should do. No time for details now. They displayed the perfect happy couple now. The entire village was watching and no doubt jealous of him. _As __they __should __be._

"We are going to stay for half an hour," he whispered to her. "And then I am going to show you something really impressive."

* * *

"People are watching!" Belle said as she tried to catch her breath. It was flattering that Gaston desired her so much, but there was something in Gaston's kisses that worried her. No. She shouldn't go thinking about whatever it was. This was her wedding day, the happiest day of her life, she shouldn't go looking for problems. But the nagging thought wouldn't leave her: _It __felt __possessive._

"Let them watch," he said with a smile. He kept kissing her and went from her lips to her jaw to her neck. "You enjoy this."

_I __do? _Belle thought. She hadn't really thought about whether or not she enjoyed it. But Gaston probably knew what he was talking about. If he said that she enjoyed this, she probably did. Gaston's hand moved over her back. Lower and lower. _I __have __to __enjoy __this. __This __is __my __husband __kissing __me. __Touching __me. __I __have __to __enjoy __this!_

Belle closed her eyes and tried to think of something else. She tried to remember something she really loved, to see if the feeling was the same. What was the moment she was the most happy? That was easy: her memories of true happiness were when she was lying in the grass on a sunny day with a good book. That was the moment when she felt all warm inside. When nothing on the world could bother her. When she was in her own world. A world filled with books… _My __books! _Her books were still at her father's house!

Her eyes flew open and she tried to look around, but as Gaston was still kissing her, that wasn't easy. He had now moved back to her mouth and he was holding her chin with his fingers, making it impossible for her to see anything else besides him.

From the corner of her eye she didn't see a single bookcase in the living room. The walls were filled with paintings of her husband, antlers and other trophies. It was richly decorated and it felt like Gaston's house. But not even one book! She did see a cupboard in the corner of the room, which was so small it probably only held some porcelain. What was she supposed to do all day?

The other night Gaston had told her that he didn't like her to ask questions. And she knew that he didn't really like her reading. She looked back at her husband. Would he object? She couldn't go through her married life without asking questions and she could definitely not go through life without books. She bit her lower lip and hesitated. Now that he was in such a good mood, this was the moment to ask him.

She tried to free herself from his embrace. Luckily he let go of her this time. "Gaston, can I ask you for a favor?" she asked with a smile.

"Anything for my bride."

_Oh __thank __God! __He __is __not __angry, _Belle thought, relieved. Now all she had to do was ask the question. She swallowed and opened her mouth to speak, only at that moment he went with his fingers through her hair. It felt really nice, but it didn't look like he was paying attention to what she said. He planted another kiss on her lips. And another one.

"Tomorrow I'd like to go to my house…" she started. It was distracting when Gaston kept kissing her like this. Was he even listening? "I mean my father's house, and pick up some of my books."

Immediately, Gaston let go off her and looked at her with raised eyebrows. "What kind of books?" he asked suspiciously.

Belle felt less secure. But she had to go on. Her books were important to her. She had to have them with her. "Well, it's just… I want, I mean I would like… Not all of them, just some of my favorite books, I have collected so many-"

He shook his head. "No," he said as he held her by her shoulders and looked at her sincerely. "No more reading for you."

"But Gaston," she tried. This was important. Her books meant a lot to her and now that she was married that hadn't changed. She had to make him understand.. She straightened her shoulders and looked at him. "My books are important to me," she said sternly.

Suddenly all the people around her fell silent.

Gaston's expression changed within a second. He grabbed her arm forcibly and led her away from the group of people. He led her to a hallway. "Never contradict me," he said through gritted teeth. "Especially not in public. Is that clear?"

For a moment Belle forgot how dependent she was on Gaston's goodwill. She pulled back her arm and rubbed the place where Gaston had gripped her. "Don't treat me like a child," she snapped back at him. "I am your wife!"

"Exactly and as my wife, your duty is to obey me!" Gaston hissed. "And I say, you're not bringing in any of _those __books!__"_ He pronounced it as if he meant something terribly disgusting.

"Those books?" Belle repeated, insulted. How was this possible? She had been reading as long as she could remember., at any time and at any place. Gaston must have known that. And he had fallen in love with her. This was who she was: a girl who loved to read. Maybe she had to explain it a bit more. He _had_ to understand this.

Before she could open her mouth, Gaston sat down on the stairs and pulled her onto his lap. "Belle, you have more important things on your mind. You are a wife now. You are going to be a mother," he said, sounding very sincere.

She wanted to protest. Even as a wife and mother she could still read. She wanted to read stories to her children! Was he always like this? Even during their engagement? She didn't remember.

"Besides," he continued as he put her hair behind her ear. He smiled at her, but it was a cold smile. His eyes were narrowed. "Those fairy tales made you lose touch with reality. We can't let that happen again. You don't want to go back to the Maison, now do you?"

Her mouth fell open and she gasped softly. Was that possible, that if she started reading again he would send her back out of fear she would get a nervous breakdown again? His own wife? "No," she whispered. He was right; she was his wife now and she had to obey him. He could send her away without any problem. He had done it when she was not even married to him.

"I'm serious, Belle. No more silly stories," he said as he put her back on her feet. "The only thing you will read from now on are cookbooks."

Belle looked up at him. She was completely taken aback with the suggestion. No more books. How could she live without books? She couldn't imagine her life without her stories! Fairy tales, plays, poems, myths, legends! And she had to give up everything? It was not fair.

"Cookbooks?" she said in astonishment after a moment.

"Belle, don't look at me like that," he said, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "I'm not doing this to tease you, I know what is best for you."

_He __says __this __because __he __loves __me,_ she explained to herself. _He __doesn__'__t __want __to __bring __me __back __to __the __Maison._ _I __have __to __make __this __work!_She sighed. _Maybe __it __is __indeed __best __for __me__… _Somehow she found that hard to believe.

"I thank you for your concern," she said, trying to smooth things over. She had to prove that she would try her best to be a good wife to him. Later, maybe she could find a way to get him to compromise on this. "Where do I find the cookbooks?" she asked, smiling.

"You'll find them in the kitchen. I think," he answered. He opened the door to the living room and beckoned one of the girls to come over. "Michelle!"

One of the triplets looked up from handing out drinks. She put down her tray and came immediately.

"Take Belle to the kitchen and show her the cookbooks. You know what I like," he said with a smile. He let go of Belle and left her standing in the hall. "Veronique! More beer!" he yelled.

"Coming, Gaston!" Veronique purred as she walked by Belle.

He mingled among the guests. He took another mug and laughed with some of his friends. They were slapping him on the back, congratulating him.

Belle looked at her husband. Was this their first fight? Over her books? Could she live without books? And what about smiling at Michelle? She felt she was missing something here. Gaston must have always known that she liked books; that was part of who she was. And he had fallen in love with who she was. At least that's what she thought. He couldn't expect her to change such a big part of her life. Could he?

Her head was so full of questions, it took a few seconds before she realized that Michelle was pulling at her sleeve.

"Belle?" Michelle asked. "The kitchen is this way."

As Belle followed Michelle to the kitchen, she heard Veronique's high-pitched giggle behind her. She looked over her shoulder, but turned away immediately when she saw that Gaston had put his arm around Veronique's waist. He was whispering something into her ear. The girl giggled again. Very loudly.

_Do __you __really __think __he__'__s __just __ordering __more __beer?_ a voice in the back of Belle's head nagged. She decided to ignore the voice in her head. Not today, not on her wedding day. Whatever Gaston was whispering to Veronique, _she_ was now his wife. That was more important than Veronique's giggle. It probably meant nothing. At least that was what she hoped.

She stepped into the kitchen and tried to focus on her new purpose in life: being a wife to Gaston. And a good start would indeed be looking into what he liked to eat. The way to a man's heart was through his stomach, as the saying went. Her eyes widened when she looked around the kitchen. _Oh __my__… _The kitchen was so much larger than she had expected! At least twice as large as the kitchen in her father's house. It was large enough to cook for an entire orphanage! The stove alone was almost as wide as the entire wall!

But finally there on the table was the first book she saw in the house. A cookbook of course. She flipped through the pages. Recipe after recipe, all with venison. She closed the book and looked at the title: _The __Deer __Hunter__'__s __Cookbook_. Oh dear… this was not very promising, she wasn't very good at cooking venison. It always turned out tasting like leather.

"Gaston loves stew, venison or beef," Michelle said as she took out a few cookbooks from a

shelf. "Never offer him any kind of fowl or poultry, unless he shot it himself."

Belle sat down at the table and looked at the cookbooks. Was this really all she could read from now on? How many table spoons of salt to use? How many carrots and onions? It didn't sound too appealing!

_Hmmm__… _A little thought sneaked into her head. "Does Gaston ever come here?" she asked.

"No of course not, this is a woman's territory. Gaston never comes here," Michelle assured Belle with a laugh. "Where is it?" she murmured to herself as she looked through several books. "There is a recipe with venison I've made for Gaston many times, he loves it. If you can master this, he'll be yours forever!"

If Gaston never came here, it should be possible to keep her books in here. Maybe even in the bindings of a different book, like this cookbook? She flipped through the pages again, it was thick enough. If she memorized the recipes or write them down on a new piece of paper, she could hide something in it. He would never know…

_Do __I __really __want __to __risk __it? _she thought, distressed. Gaston had just basically told her that if he caught her reading, he would send her back to the Maison. She heard Gaston's laughter coming from the living room. If he ever set foot in here and found even one book, he would be angry with her. She should not even tempt him.

_Not __even __one __thin __book? _the voice in her head suggested. _'__Classic __fairy__tales__' __would __fit __perfectly __between __those __pots __and __pans __on __the __bottom __shelf. __Gaston __will __never __see __it. __You __have __to __do __something __while __you __boil __potatoes. __Why __not __read __a __story __you __love?_

"No!" Belle said out loud. She was not going to lie to her husband or hide things from him. Gaston had offered her a home, everything a girl dreamed off. She had to do everything possible to keep it.

"Did you say something?" Michelle asked as she looked up from the books.

"No, I didn't," Belle answered. "Please, continue. What does Gaston like for breakfast?"

"Oh, in the morning make him eggs, lots of eggs!" Michelle laughed as she pointed at one of the many recipes. "I usually bring… I mean brought eggs from our own chickens, but maybe it's better to get a henhouse. That man can easily eat four dozen eggs!" she left the books on the table and opened a cupboard and took two cups out. "I don't know about you, but I could use something to drink." Michelle opened another cupboard and took out a bottle of water.

As Belle watched Michelle, the thoughts about her books went to the background. Something more important was going on here. She realized that Michelle knew her way around this kitchen. It was clear that the girl had been here many times. That actually alarmed her more than Gaston's arm around Veronique's waist or that giggle. Michelle knew exactly where everything was placed. She knew what Gaston liked to eat for dinner. For breakfast. Michelle looked so at ease in this kitchen. _Her_ kitchen!

"Michelle… how do you know all this?" she asked hesitantly. Did she really want to hear the answer to that question? She wasn't blind; she could easily think of an explanation for Michelle's behavior. She had to know the truth.

"What Gaston likes? He usually comes to the tavern to eat." Michelle avoided looking at Belle. She kept her eyes on her cup of water.

"Yes, I understand that, but you do know your way very well around this kitchen," Belle tried to clarify her question. She wanted to hear it from the girl. "You look like you are in your own kitchen."

"When Gaston is ill, I come here to cook," Michelle answered.

That was clearly a lie. And did she imagine it, or was Michelle blushing? This was not going well. " I didn't know Gaston ever got ill. I was under the impression _my _husband was as strong as on ox."

"Oh, he is!"

Belle had to be more blunt. Only if she knew for sure what was going on here could she do something about it. She couldn't change her husband's behavior, but she could try to do something about the girl's. "Let me rephrase it then: Do you plan to cook in this kitchen more often?"

"Of course not! This kitchen is yours now!" Michelle replied without hesitating. "I wouldn't dare…"

"Good," Belle muttered. Not only her books could mean a threat to her marriage, but also this and other girls.

"How do you like the kitchen?" Gaston asked as they walked back into the living room.

"Well, it's very large," Belle said as she joined his side.

Gaston started to grin, "Yes, with a large family, you'll need a large kitchen!" The men standing around her husband all laughed. "Go upstairs. There is a surprise for you in the first room on your right," he said with a smirk.

"I love surprises."

"I'm just full of surprises," Gaston whispered. "And I have another big surprise planned for later tonight."

"I can't wait," Belle said uneasy. Somehow she wasn't really keen on finding out what Gaston meant.

"Neither can I…" he added as he gazed into her eyes. He patted her on her behind. "Now upstairs with you!" he laughed.

Belle went up the stairs and opened the first door on the right, like Gaston had told her. She stopped in the doorway, making Michelle bump into her. _Oh __my__… _

With trepidation, Belle walked into the room . She looked around and let out a sigh. It was a bedroom, but not the master bedroom. Here there were not one, not two, but three cribs,, each with a little stuffed animal inside it. The room also held an open chest full of toys. All three beds were made, ready for a baby or toddler to get into bed.

"Oh my…" was all she managed to get out.

"Belle? What's wrong?" Michelle asked, confused.

"How can he expect me-" she blurted out, more to herself than to Michelle."And does he mean three at once? Or three right after each other?"

"Gaston is just enthusiastic," Michelle tried to reassure her. "He always wanted to have a large family."

_Seven __sons. __Strapping __boys, __like __him_. His words echoed in her head. _Three __at __once? __Getting __triplets? __Does __he __really __think __I __can __give __him __three __children __at __once? _She was now used to the idea that she would be a mother within a year. But to see it in front of her like this… She had to get out of here.

She went through a side door, finding herself in the master bedroom. There was a huge... no not huge, a _gigantic_ four poster bed in the center of the room. Like the rest of the house, everything was made from dark wood: the bed, the cupboards, a vanity. It all looked so luxurious. There were two full- length mirrors and a vanity.

Belle sat down on the bed. She had to let everything she had seen sink in. She was married now and Gaston was very eager to fill the house with children. And apparently within the shortest possible time. Could she do this? Then a thought occurred to her: once she was with child, she would be safe. Gaston would never send the mother of his children to an asylum.

She had to be what Gaston wanted her to be if she wanted to stay out of the Maison. She noticed the red dress Gaston had bought her hanging over the back of a chair.

* * *

Adam, Cogsworth and the guards finally arrived in the village. It was alarmingly quiet. There was not a single soul out on the streets.

"Where is everybody…?" Adam asked as they rode through the village. "What's going on here?"

"It's a ghost town," Cogsworth muttered. "Maybe it's some disease… Something contagious."

Then suddenly they saw the only form of life. In front of a house on the market square there was a horse and cart. The cart was fully loaded with suitcases. Someone was about to leave this place. Adam clenched the reins and spurred his horse. _If __that __Gaston __fellow __and __Belle __come __out __of __that __house, __he __is __a __dead __man!_

To his surprise, it wasn't Gaston nor Belle coming out of the house.

"Monsieur Dijon? Where are you going?" Adam asked.

"What do you want?" Monsieur Dijon said aggressively before turning around. When he did, he dropped his keys and bowed immediately. "I'm so sorry!" he apologized. "I didn't know she was already back in town!"

"Where is she?"

"You're too late. Belle is married, to that-" The man was too upset to talk. "And I'm leaving too."

"Where is she?" Adam insisted, raising his voice.

Monsieur Dijon pointed to a large house on the other side of the square. "That big house over there, that's where Madame Gaston de Soleil now lives."

* * *

Belle looked at herself in the mirror. The red dress was completely different than what she was used to wearing. Couldn't she wear her regular blue dress? As she smiled at her reflection, she tried to imitate Veronique's giggle. It felt uncomfortable. If this was what her husband wanted, he should get it. Anything to keep him happy. _I __have __to __keep __him __happy, _she thought determined. _I __don__'__t __want __to __go __back!_

She giggled once more, her tone of voice a little higher. She turned back to Michelle. "How did that sound?"

"It doesn't sound like you," Michelle shrugged. "And that dress…"

"Gaston told me yesterday that it looks good on me," Belle said insecurely as she studied her appearance. It didn't look like her. She looked more like one of the triplets, aside from the fact that she had brown hair. It felt wrong. Was this really what she needed to do to make Gaston happy and keep herself out of the asylum? Turn herself into something completely different? Shouldn't her husband love her for who she was? Her mind was spinning. "He said he liked how I look in it," she said, trying to convince herself.

Michelle stood next to her and looked at her. "Yes, this is what Gaston likes," she said.

Belle took another look at Michelle and then at herself. They could easily pass as sisters now. The triplets were what Gaston liked. She had to do everything she could to keep his attention and keep herself safe.

* * *

"Your Highness, please stay calm!" Cogsworth warned as Adam dismounted his horse, ready to storm in.

Adam waved away Cogsworth's words. This was not the time to hesitate, it was time for action! "I need to speak to Belle! I need to hear it from her own lips!"

"Control yourself!" Cogsworth said as he ran after the prince, stopping him before he could open the door. "Behave like the prince you are. Show those peasants that you are far above them. Your word is law!"

"All I want to see Belle!" Adam said angrily.

"Leave the guards outside. Let me introduce you," Cogsworth went on.

"This is not the time for correct protocol!"

Cogsworth didn't answer. He stood up straight and straightened his shoulders, making Adam do the same. "Trust me, your Highness. You have to show you are in control of the situation."

_If __there __is __one __thing __I__'__m __not__… _"All right, but if I don't see Belle within two minutes, I call for the guards. And I'll search the house myself!"

Cogsworth opened the door and went in first. He stepped into a crowded room, coughed and then said loudly: "Mesdames et Messieurs, His Royal Highness Prince Adam, Prince of France!"

All eyes turned to the door. The talking and the cheering stopped immediately.

Gaston hadn't really noticed that someone had come in uninvited, nor had he heard what was said. He did turn to the door, and saw the one person coming in who he didn't want to see for the rest of his life. He rolled his eyes "Oh no, not you again," he moaned. "What do you want?"

"I want Belle!" Adam stated simply. Controlling himself was the hardest thing he had ever done. He actually wanted to force the man to bring Belle here now.

Gaston was happy that Belle was upstairs and not here. He stepped forward and grinned. "You are talking about my wife. We were married this morning." Then his grin faded, and suddenly he yelled: "And now: GET OUT!"

Adam also stepped forward, now standing face to face with the man he hated so much. "You can't tell a prince what to do," he smirked.

"What prince?" Gaston laughed hysterically. "No one has seen the prince in years! Who knows, he's probably already dead!"

Adam grabbed the man by his collar. "I am the heir to the throne of France and I order you to show me Belle!"

With little trouble Gaston freed himself from the grasp. "I am not giving my wife to some noble."

"I want her now!" Adam yelled. "Or I'll have you beheaded!"

The two men were standing opposite each other, both breathing heavily, both ready to attack. Gaston felt strong. He was married to Belle, in front of God and everybody here! Not even some noble could do anything about that! Belle was his!

Adam was about to get the guards in and arrest everyone here. He would turn the place upside down! He would find Belle today and hear from her if she wanted to stay married to this man or not. He would see immediately if she was here against her will or not! Belle was his!

All of a sudden Lefou stumbled into the room. Already he had had more beer than his little body could handle. "Hey everyone, there are guards and horses outside, and the saddles have the…" He hiccupped, interrupting himself. "The royal arms."

Immediately the people started to whisper. Guards… the royal arms… Was it indeed possible that this man was the prince? What did the prince want with Belle?

"Shut up!" Gaston shouted in frustration. He felt he had lost the trust of the people in the room. They didn't believe him! He saw several slightly bowing, and a few women dropped into a curtsey. "STAND UP! He's not a prince and he can't have Belle!" he yelled. "Belle is my wife!"

"Belle is mine!" Adam shouted back. "Do you honestly think she'd want you when she could have someone like me?"

That was the last straw for Gaston. He was the best thing a girl like Belle could ever get. And no one was allowed to say otherwise! He grabbed a knife from the table and held it against the throat of the man. "Belle is my wife. In every way," he panted. " And there is nothing you can do about it!"

Adam choked.

"GUARDS!" Cogsworth shouted. "Seize him!"

* * *

"What's going on downstairs?" Belle looked at Michelle. She heard several screams, but couldn't make out what was happening. She opened the door to the hallway and looked down the stairs. She saw Gaston holding a knife against the throat of someone she didn't know. Everything that happened after it went so fast, she could hardly keep track.

Several armed soldiers stormed into the house and grabbed Gaston's arms, forcing him to drop the knife. The guests fled in panic from the house, the women were screaming, some children were crying. Right after that, the guards forced Gaston to the floor, keeping his head down. Belle didn't know what was going on, but she couldn't stand here and do nothing!

She ran down the stairs and stood between Gaston and the guards. "Monsieur, I'm so sorry!" she tried to explain to the stranger. She only noticed now that he was a nobleman. She curtseyed quickly and talked as fast as she could. She had to help! "Please forgive my husband! It's our wedding day! He didn't mean to offend or threaten you! We've been through a stressful time - I have been ill and I had to go away for a while to get better and now I am finally back to get married and I am so sorry he did this to you! He didn't mean it!" She took a deep breath. "Let him go!"

"Belle…" Adam gasped. What had happened to Belle. _She__looks__like__a__…_He couldn't even finish the thought. "What are you _wearing?__"_

"My husband picked out this dress for me," Belle answered, confused. What had her dress to do with anything? She looked at Gaston who was still on his knees. With tears in her eyes she asked: "Please, let my husband go."

_My __husband,_ Adam closed his eyes for a second. It couldn't be. She couldn't really mean that she was actually married to that man. He watched her as she dropped to her knees and spoke softly to the one whom she considered _her __husband_! With that low cut dress and her hair up like that… she didn't even look like his Belle anymore. The girl who yelled at him when she took care of his wounds. The girl who looked at him without fear. The girl who broke the spell. He could hear her sob. Everything was lost. She had a husband and it was not him.

"Please monsieur, let him go," she begged. "He will apologize for his behavior!"

"Belle, you are humiliating me!" Gaston said angrily. He couldn't get up and the guards weren't even the biggest problem. Belle was trying to rescue him from this situation. Like _he_ needed to be rescued! And he didn't like that she was in the same room as this man. This man, who pretended to be a prince to claim what was not his. Belle was Gaston's! And she had to do what he said!

Adam gestured to the guards to let go of the man. He had hoped that Belle would recognize him the moment she saw him - that she would see that with or without fangs and fur, he was still the same. But how could she? She had never seen him like this.

Gaston stood up from the floor, brushing off the dust from his knees. Immediately Belle came to his side and hugged him. He put his arm around her, keeping her face away from that man and his guards. Even if this man was a prince, he could not have her.

There was one last thing Adam could try. She had to know. "Belle, it's me. Adam."

Belle's mouth fell open. She recognized that voice, but it couldn't be true! "Adam," she whispered as she let go of Gaston and turned to the stranger. No, it could not be! Adam didn't exist! Her breath sped up and she started to feel dizzy. Her head started to hurt. _No, __Adam __doesn__'__t __exist! __The __Beast, __the __castle! __It__'__s __not __real. __It __must __be __a __test__…_

She turned back to Gaston. "Please, don't send me back to the Maison! I have told you I have changed! Adam doesn't exist!" She grabbed the front of Gaston's jacket and started to cry. "Don't send me back, I'm your wife, you can't send your wife to the Maison."

Gaston had no idea what Belle was talking about or who Adam was, but it was good that she referred to herself as his wife. He had nothing to worry about. "Belle, I want you to go upstairs," he said as he patted her on her head. "You are tired, you'd better lie down. I'll settle this." He smiled at her. Oh yes, he would settle this. That man would leave now and he would then go upstairs and do what he had been waiting for all day.

"You are not sending me away?" she said with tears in her eyes. She was holding onto Gaston's arm.

"Of course not, we are married now. Go lie down on our bed. I'll be right with you."

"Belle!" Adam shouted. "Don't listen to him, he locked you up! He doesn't love you! No man in his right mind would ever lock up the one he loves! "

Belle looked from Gaston to Adam. She was confused. If this was Adam… Then what had happened? What was going on here? Why did Gaston send her to the Maison?

In her eyes, Adam saw a glimpse of the girl who came to his castle. He smiled at her and reached out his hand to her. All she had to do was take his hand and then they could get out of here.

Gaston watched as Belle let go of his hand. He could see that she wanted to walk over to that man! That couldn't happen! Gaston pulled her back immediately. "Do as I say, Belle! You are my wife and you have to do as I say!" he yelled at her. Suddenly he got an idea. He kissed her vigorously on her mouth, making sure that fake-prince knew that Belle was his wife!

_He__'__s __kissing __her! _Aggressively Adam pushed the man out of the way and grabbed Belle by her shoulders. "I am so sorry, for all I have done to you," he said, his throat getting dry. He had to say it now. He had to say everything he had never been able to say. "I never should have let you go to your father alone. I should have gone with you to protect you. Giving you the mirror as a memory wasn't enough. I love you, Belle."

"It can't be," Belle whispered.

"It's really me," Adam assured her, nodding. "I was under a spell, but your love set me free. This is who I really am." He took her hand and gently kissed it. "I'm so sorry it took me so long to get here."

Belle narrowed her eyes and reached out to the man's face. For a moment she hesitated before she touched a lock of his hair. Could it be really him? He sounded like Adam, but it was impossible. When she pushed the hair away from his face, she had a clearer look at his eyes. His eyes looked the same. They were as blue as the Beast's… they looked like Adam's… No, Adam was a figment of her imagination.

"But I made you up," she said in confusion. "Because I was lonely. And scared."

"So was I, but when I met you, everything changed. I changed." Adam smiled. "I assure you, I am real and I am here to take you home."

"Home?"

He nodded. "I already have given you the library," he said. "I want to give you so much more: the castle, the gardens...But most of all, I want to give you my heart."

"Oh Adam," Belle placed her hand over her mouth and sighed. "It is you!"

* * *

No. No! NO! This could not be! He had planned everything so incredibly carefully. The Maison, her father, Belle… He had done everything to make Belle his. It was the longest hunt of his life! He had won the fight! She was married to him! Willingly! She didn't give him those disdainful looks anymore! She looked at him with awe and adoration! She was standing here in the dress he had bought for her... and now there was this man who was ruining everything?

He had won! Belle was his wife now! She had given in! And no one, not even a prince could take her away from him!

_Belle is mine! _

He saw the knife on the floor. There was only one thing he could do… If he couldn't have Belle… "THEN NOBODY CAN!"


	11. Chapter 10

A/N… Hi there! Do you remember me? Can't apologize enough for the 15-month gap, but let's not dwell on it: Here is Chapter 10!

**CHAPTER 10**

Gaston pulled back his knife and looked at the blood dripping on the floor. Strange...this blood was less dark than the blood of the animals he had shot. He had always thought all blood was the same.

"Gaston?" Belle asked in confusion. Then she collapsed.

It took several moments for Gaston to understand that Belle was saying his name. He stood there staring as the blood stain on her wedding dress grew bigger and bigger. What had he done? She reached out to him and he didn't know what to do.

His mind was racing in a panic. How had this happened? It wasn't supposed to be like this! This was his perfect wedding day with his perfect bride! _It's not my fault! _he thought defensively. _I had to do whatever it took to protect what was mine! _

It was all that prince's fault. If that prince hadn't shown up, none of this would have happened!

"Look what you made me do!" he yelled in anger at the prince.

* * *

Everything that happened after that seemed unreal, like a dream.

No one in the village could have ever imagined that something like this could happen in their provincial town. He was their hero. Their Gaston. And now… His hands were tied tightly together as four guards dragged him out of his own house. How was this possible? He struggled and yelled like a madman, but nobody dared to go against four guards. Everyone was standing there, watching the event.

The door opened again and next to come out of Gaston's house was the man who had been revealed to be the prince of their country, the heir to the throne, with Belle limp and bloody in his arms! The sight was horrible. Several women fainted, while the men turned away at the sight of all that blood. The people could not tell if she was unconscious or dead. Her eyes were closed, and her face was white as a sheet. Her once-white wedding dress was covered in blood.

To Adam, too, everything seemed like an unreal blur. Without consciously planning it, he tore a piece of fabric off Belle's dress and tightly wrapped it around her waist in the hope that it would stop the bleeding. He could only pray that he had done it right. All he could think about was getting her out of here as fast as possible. He had to get her to the castle. If Belle was dead because of him, he could never forgive himself.

He kept whispering to Belle all the way to the castle, words of hope. Whatever happened, he couldn't let her die. That man couldn't win! She would survive this! Then finally...finally! They would finally get married and have their happily ever after. She was his wife, no matter what, she was his!

"Please don't die… stay with me," he whispered. "I need you. I love you."

He couldn't imagine his life without her. There was no life without Belle - not as a human prince, not as a beast.

After what seemed like forever, they arrived at the castle. Within minutes the entire household was thrown into commotion. Adam went into the first bedroom he came across and carefully laid Belle down on the bed. Immediately a doctor pushed Adam aside to help her. Adam sat down on the floor in a corner of the room, his head buried in his hands.

Never in his life had Adam felt this helpless, not even when he was a Beast. There was nothing he could do. He watched the doctor and a nurse taking off the bandages. To his horror, the wound started to bleed again! Even more frightening, Belle didn't make a sound – no screams, no moans, nothing!

"How bad is it?" Adam asked softly as the doctor was busy stitching the wound.

"She's lost a lot of blood," the doctor murmured. He turned away from Belle for a moment and shook his head. "What were you thinking, moving her?"

"I had to get her away from there!" Adam tried to defend himself. "Will she live?"

The doctor avoided a direct answer to that question. "She should rest now. The knife plunged in deep, but I don't think anything vital has been damaged."

Adam watched the doctor and the nurse leave the room. He sat down on the bed next to Belle, took her hand and gently rubbed it. Her hands were so cold. If the doctor was right that she would survive this, then her attacker might come after her again. He had to prevent that at any cost. He had to get rid of that man. Now.

He kissed Belle's forehead and left the room.

"Your highness?" Cogsworth asked, who was waiting in the hallway with Lumière.

"I can sentence someone to death, can't I?" Adam said. It was not really a question; he knew he could, even though he had never done it. "Attempted murder. He's not getting away with this."

Cogsworth's eyes widened. "Let's not discuss that here, your highness."

The plan grew in Adam's head. He was a ruler - he could do this! This villain deserved nothing less than death . "He tried to kill a future princess of this country. For this he must die himself."

"Your highness, it's not that easy!" Cogsworth protested.

Adam stopped walking and turned to Cogsworth. He pointed at himself. "Why not? I'm a prince. I can do whatever I want and I want that man DEAD!" Without waiting for an answer, he stormed out into a different hallway and down the stairs.

"Your highness, wait!" Cogsworth yelled as he had a hard time keeping up.

"It can't be difficult. We locate the executioner...we used to have one, didn't we? Pick a date, et voila!" Adam continued. He could take a life as simply as that. A life for a life. It was only fair. He would protect Belle.

"Where are you going?"

"Tell the executioner that he has a job again!" Adam ran through the hallways. He remembered that the executioner used to live in the rooms near the kitchens.

It would be over in seconds. A quick blow with an axe and the man would be beheaded. He didn't plan on torturing the man for days. He wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

"Your highness, please wait!"

_Why do I have to explain everything?_ Adam thought, annoyed. He stopped and turned to the butler."Look, I am the prince. When I say: 'Off with his head', you answer: 'Your will be done'!"

"Your will be done," Cogsworth said after a long pause.

"Then do it!" Adam took a threatening step in Cogsworth's direction. "No more 'wait', Cogsworth, my word is law. Tomorrow at sunrise, he will die!"

Cogsworth bowed reluctantly and walked away.

Adam sank down on the first bench he saw in the hallway. All of a sudden he felt so tired. But he knew his decision was the right one. He would eliminate this evil from his castle and his country. Belle would be safe. That was the most important thing. Without that evil man around, she could recover and be with him.

"My prince, are you sure that this is your will?" Lumière asked as he sat down next to Adam.

"What do you mean?" Adam said absent-mindedly. "Belle is safe. What more could I want?"

He didn't look at Lumière, but he could hear hesitation in the maitre'd's voice. Lumiere was about to say something Adam didn't want to hear.

Sure enough, Lumiere asked, "But will she be happy with your decision?"

"How could she not be happy?" Adam asked, raising his eyebrows. Surely Belle would be more than happy to see this man dead!

"She married the man you are going to execute," Lumière pointed out slowly.

Adam waived away Lumière's words. "She married against her will." He was sure of that.

"You don't know that, my prince."

"She recognized me, Lumière," Adam explained. It was as clear as day to him. "She recognized who I was. Even without ever seeing me in this form, she knew it was me. "

"Wouldn't it better to wait till Belle is able to explain what her reasons were?"

Adam stood up and shook his head. "No!" he yelled. He didn't want to think about what Belle's reasons were to marry that man. He only wanted to believe what he hoped was the truth. With that man's death, Belle could forget all about that village and her former life and live here with him.

"He will die, Lumière!" he said as he walked away. "First thing tomorrow morning!"

* * *

Even with Gaston's perfect physical condition, he was panting when they finally arrived at the castle. It had been hard to keep up with the horses. The guards had not looked back once to see if he was all right. He had tripped over his own feet several times, almost being dragged through the mud. He was thankful that no one from the village could see him humiliated like this. Not that it mattered who saw: he was humiliated just the same To be treated like a criminal, or worse, a useless animal.

But he had no time to sulk on this feeling. He had to find a way out of here. He had no doubt that he would. As soon as the guards looked the other way, he would get out.

They had passed at least three or four staircases; there seemed no end to it. His hunting skills were of benefit to him now. Just as he remembered every tree and every bush in the forest, he now memorized the route they were walking. From the main hall up the grand staircase, twice taking the stairs on the right, through a long hallway with white statues. At the end of the hallway, through the door and up a spiral staircase. They must be in one of the towers now.

"Which one should we put him in?" one of the guards asked.

The other guard shrugged. "Does it matter? No one will ever get out of here."

"I will be your first," Gaston whispered with a grin.

The guards looked over their shoulders. "Did you say something?"

Gaston was tempted to try again to fight off the four guards. They were much smaller than he was, but they were armed. He needed to rest first, and then when there were fewer guards, he would get out.

"That one," the head of the guards decided. He opened a barred door and let Gaston in. Gaston turned around and held out his hands and waited for the guards to undo the ropes.

The guards started to laugh. "You think we get rid of those while we are still in this cell with you? Idiot."

He closed the door, but Gaston was able to grab the man's collar with both hands through the bars. "What did you call me?" he hissed.

The guard easily released himself from Gaston's grip. "You heard me. You are an idiot."

"Leave those ropes," the head of the guards said. "We might need a ball and chain."

* * *

Adam went back to Belle's room, hoping that he would get a sign that he was doing the right thing. Surely Belle wanted the scoundrel who had injured her sentenced to death. Once he was gone, she would feel safe again.

All of a sudden a sound came from the bed. Adam immediately took Belle's hand.

"My love, can you hear me?" he whispered.

"G—Gaston?" she murmured. "Is that you?…Help me…"

Adam let go of her hand as though he had been burned. He was in shock, too confused to even speak. This couldn't be. He must have heard it wrong. She didn't say that. She didn't say that man's name!

He stood up and straightened his shoulders. His fists clenched and his eyes narrowed. This was not Belle. He would get to the bottom of this. He left Belle's room. "Where is he?" he said through clenched teeth.

"They have brought him to the tower, your highness," said a chambermaid who was dusting a large vase.

"You stay here! No one is to enter this room!"

* * *

Gaston didn't know if he had been in the cell for minutes or hours. It was hard to determine time in an empty cell. . Besides his own footsteps, there was nothing to hear. It was driving him crazy. He could deal with the cold; he had stayed out several nights in winter to hunt. But it was the lack of the sounds of the wood or the village that was bothering him.

He let the events of the day go through his head. Somewhere he had made a mistake, but he couldn't figure out where. He walked over to the bars and leaned against them.

This was humiliating: to be put away in a cell, like some caged animal! He at least always had the decency to kill the animals right away; they didn't suffer.

The thought of animals being killed suddenly jolted him with a realization. Good God, could that happen to _him? _For the first time it dawned on Gaston the mess he was in.

With his fingers, he felt the spot under his chin where the prince had touched his sword . There was still a little mark. Gaston swallowed and felt his heartbeat speed up. He had almost lost his head! Was that why the prince had come to his house? To arrest him and hang him?

Hang him?! No. This couldn't be the end! He wasn't ready to die! His life wouldn't end with the proclamation of his death sentence! He was Gaston! Other people might make foolish mistakes and end up in situations like this, but not him!

All of a sudden the door flew open and the prince stormed into the tower. He grabbed the bars of the cell and shouted: "What did you do to her?"

Gaston breathed in deeply, trying to win some time and avoid showing the panic he was feeling. Whatever was going to happen, he could not show any sign of fear. He would defend himself to the last breath.

"To who?" he asked innocently.

"Belle!"

"Oh, you mean my wife."

"Stop calling her that!" Adam reached through the bars and tried to grab Gaston, who jumped back with a nervous laugh. It didn't sound as confident as he wanted it to. The secret to winning every battle was to act as though there was no doubt about the outcome.

He knew that taunting the prince wasn't the smartest thing to do, seeing what had happened the last time he did that, but he couldn't resist it. "You can like it or not, 'your highness', but Belle is my wife," he said with a smirk. "We were married yesterday before the eyes of God and the law."

Adam tried to ignore the facts and get to the bottom of the truth. Belle might be married, but there was no way that she had done that willingly, especially since she had never mentioned this man to him.

"I want to know why I never heard of your existence for all those weeks when Belle was with me," he demanded.

Gaston's eyes narrowed. That was new information. He had wondered how Belle and that prince knew each other. Apparently Belle had spent significant time with the prince. That was not exactly what Gaston wanted to hear. _That man is obsessed with Belle. _Gaston thought. _ But he won't get her. Belle is mine!_

"My wife was probably afraid of you," he said with a shrug.

Outraged, Adam opened his mouth to protest...but then a memory popped into his head: the moment he had found Belle in the West Wing. How he had roared at her when she was about to touch the Rose. The fear in her eyes as she ran away.

Why had she come back? He had chased after her in the woods, like a beast… any normal human being would have ran away as fast as possible. Even when he was recovering from his wounds, she had had plenty of opportunities to leave. Why did she stay? Was she scared?

No. It couldn't be. She had broken the spell. He couldn't let himself have these doubts. Belle broke the spell. That meant she loved him. She had stayed because she wanted to – he hadn't forced her.

"If she was afraid of any man, it has to be you," he said firmly. "You put her in a madhouse!"

"That was for her own good!" Gaston defended himself. He had done what was necessary - not just to get Belle to marry him, but also to help Belle to see things in the right perspective. "She was confused. Like her father, rambling about a beast in a castle." He shrugged, "What was I supposed to do?"

Adam looked away. Was he really the cause of all Belle's problems?

Gaston hadn't expected it, but he actually felt that he was winning. He had been improvising, saying whatever he could think of, but it seemed to be hitting home – the prince looked uncertain and distracted by what he said. Gaston didn't know how or why, but he could tell that he was on the right track, and pushed his advantage.

"Belle was grateful for her stay in the Maison. She said that it helped her to clear her head," he continued. "That love of books was getting out of hand - if you gave her one book, she would do any for you."

Adam couldn't react. The longer he listened, the more the things the man said made sense. Had Belle stayed only for the books? They had bonded mostly when they were reading together. No! He shook his head He had to focus. This man was the enemy. He had attacked Belle, the woman who had broken the spell. He couldn't be telling the truth.

And yet…

"I had to stop that," Gaston went on. "As my fiancée and my wife, Belle needed to focus on more important things. There is more to life than books."

As he talked, Gaston observed that the prince had stopped attacking him and was now listening to every word he said. Gaston had known he was good and that he would get out of every situation, but to be able to make a nobleman change his mind – that was really impressive, even for him! He walked back to the cell door and looked at the prince.

"Your highness, I understand. Belle's beauty is hard to resist," he said. "I don't blame you, but Belle is my wife. She will be for as long as she lives."

Gaston saw triumphantly that there was some doubt in the prince's eyes. This was going exactly as he had hoped…

But the last thing Gaston had said snapped Adam out of his doubt. _As long as she lives. _Adam suddenly remembered why he was here. Belle was in her room, badly injured. _As long as she lives… _Because of this evil man, that might not be very long! Adam felt his blood turn to ice in his veins. He didn't want to listen anymore. Whatever had happened before Belle came to the castle didn't matter. What mattered was that this man had attacked her, and he had to pay.

"Or as long as _you_ live," Adam said darkly. "Till death do you part."

Gaston gasped, but quickly recovered, thinking fast. "The bond between me and Belle is very strong," he said smoothly. "We will be together, now or in the Hereafter. We belong together and always will."

The door opened and in came a priest. "Your highness," he said. "I'm here to give the prisoner the last rites."

Adam looked at the priest. He hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. "Do it."

"You can kill me, your highness, but she will never forget me!" Gaston yelled at the top of his lungs. "Belle will be mine forever!"

Adam ran out of the tower and down the stairs. "Gag him!" he yelled. "Cut out his tongue if you have to, but I don't want to hear that voice ever again!" Gaston's laugh followed him through the castle. A laugh that sent shivers down his spine. He wanted to get away from this man as far as possible but that laugh was all he heard.

* * *

"Come on, Elise!" a chambermaid called Lisette pleaded with her friend. "There's chocolate cake! We haven't had chocolate cake in years!"

The chambermaid working opposite Belle's room shook her head."His highness, the prince, said I had to stay here."

"What can happen here?" the third chambermaid, Marie, added to the conversation. She leaned against the door. "The safest place for Belle to be is in this room. There are guards everywhere around the castle; no one will come in."

"I know, but still…" Elise bit her lower lip. She was in doubt; it _had_ been such a long time since she had eaten chocolate cake.

"Besides, they have captured the man who hurt her!" Marie said.

Lisette nodded. "Marie is right., And we have something to celebrate! We are human again!"

"It's only for a few minutes."

"It's only chocolate cake!"

Elise sighed and smiled. "You're right. I'll be right back, after all. What could happen?" She put down her feather duster and left with her two friends to head to the kitchen.

* * *

It took a lot of energy for Belle to open her eyes. She couldn't remember what had happened, but her body hurt all over. She slowly turned her head. She didn't recognize the room she was in. This was not her bedroom in her father's house. This bed was bigger, warmer, and softer. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. With her eyes closed, she tried to think about what happened instead of the pain.

Her wedding. She was married to Gaston now. That meant she was safe!

She sat up straight, or at least that's what she tried to do. When she pushed herself up with her arms, she felt a sharp pain in her side. Automatically she placed her hand on the place where it hurt. She only noticed then that she was in a night gown. A silk one. Much more luxurious than she had ever imagined Gaston would give her.

Was she at Gaston's house? It couldn't be. This room was enormous. Gaston was well off, but _this_ well off?

There was something missing in her memory. It had felt like this when she was in the asylum. After drinking tea with Madame Beaumont, she always felt like there were gaps in the time. _Wait…_ Belle gasped in realization. The asylum! This room… it reminded her of the nice room her father was in in the Maison!

What had happened at the wedding? She had to remember! Surely Gaston wouldn't bring her back to the Maison! They were married now - he would never have married her if she were crazy! She remembered the argument they had about her books, but she hadn't gone to her own house to get them.

_Think, Belle! _

She carefully turned and let her legs slide over the edge of the bed. Her hand went to her side again. It felt like someone had planted a knife her side. It took her a moment to just sit and breathe. _What has happened? _The gap in her mind was huge.

She slowly looked around.. The room seemed deserted. "Hello? Is anyone here?" she called. Her voice was hoarse. No one answered. She lifted the hem of the nightgown above her waist and saw the bandages around her waist. Suddenly a memory came back to her.:she was standing in the nursery in Gaston's house, and There was shouting downstairs. There was a fight. Was that how she had gotten injured? But this room didn't look like a hospital wing.

No, the only possible conclusion was that she was in the Maison again and that Gaston had paid for a better room this time. Which was only right now, that she was his wife.

She looked out the window, but couldn't determine what time of day it was. If this was the Maison, it could be that everyone was eating or outside right now. Maybe if she was lucky, she could get out. Whatever had happened, Gaston and she needed to talk about it.

It seemed like it took forever, but finally she managed to place her feet firmly on the floor and stand up. Her side hurt terribly. She felt light-headed, but she had to do this. She had to find a way out of the Maison or she would be here forever.

Belle wandered through the hallway. All was quiet. She didn't hear any crazy inmates screaming. The silence scared her. Everything seemed to go rather slowly, but as she held on to the walls, she could manage to make her way through the hallway.

"That chocolate cake was delicious!" she heard a voice say. Servant girls!

She gasped. What could she do? Where could she go? As soon as anyone saw her, she would be back in her cell! As quickly as she could, she pressed herself against the wall, next to a large cabinet. She tried to hold her breath and not make a sound.

Two chattering maids walked by. They were too busy talking to notice her.

Softly Belle breathed out the air in her lungs. They hadn't seen her!

She needed all her energy to focus on how she put her feet on the floor, but she did notice a few things. This part of the Maison was extremely luxurious and beautiful. Why did the Maison have a hallway with tapestries and portraits on every wall and thick carpets on the floor? There were also suits of armor, and large white statues of angels, cherubs and unicorns. What was all that doing here?

_There!_ An open door. _Please, let it be a way out! _

Belle paused inside the door. _That's strange._ This place looked so different from the other parts of the Maison. Immediately behind the door, there was a stone spiral staircase going up. This staircase wasn't carpeted and there was no wall paper on the walls, just cold stones. She shivered in her nightgown. It was much colder here…

A staircase couldn't be a way out. The best thing to do was to close the door and go a different way. But there was something familiar about this staircase. With her heart beating in her throat, she walked up the stairs. She had to see what was up there. She remembered something about this place. She had been here before...or was it in a dream? She walked higher and higher. _I believe there is a niche in the wall around this next… _And indeed she was right: there was a niche on the right with a candelabrum, with three burning candles.

All of a sudden she heard something at the top of the stairs. It sounded like someone was walking up there. The footsteps resonated against the walls. The person would walk a few steps, stop, and then walk a few steps again, over and over.

She hesitated, she'd better turn around and go. But she couldn't. Now she didn't hear anything anymore. Maybe she had imagined it. "That's funny, I'm sure there was someone…" she muttered softly. " I-I-Is there anyone here?"

"Belle?" she heard a man's voice say. "Belle, is that you?"

Belle's heart skipped a beat. She knew that voice! _Thank the Lord! _ "Gaston!"


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The moment Belle heard Gaston's voice, she started running up the stairs as fast as her wound would allow. To her great shock, she saw prison cells. And Gaston was locked in one of them! "Gaston?" she gasped.

"Belle, get me out of here!" he yelled.

He sounded incredibly angry, his voice resonating through the tower. She had to hold on to the wall. She began to feel the pain of her wound; if she wasn't careful she would collapse. The pain increased rapidly. _Not now… _ "Gaston!" she panted as she grasped the bars of his cell door "What happened?"

"My hands are like ice! Get me out of here!"

Belle tried to understand what had happened after her wedding. She remembered the church, the ceremony... How had they ended up here? Gaston's wedding suit was ruined. Through all the mud stains, it was hard to tell that his pants had been white once. His red overcoat was torn. His hair was no longer pulled back neatly, but was now wild and loose. It was clear he had been fighting. But why? Had she done something to get sent back to the Maison? Had he fought the caretakers to keep her out? It didn't make sense…

"I thought Monsieur D'Arque was a good friend of yours?" she said.

"Paul?" Gaston asked, astonished. "What has he got to do with this?" Had Paul betrayed him? His friend hadn't been at the wedding. Had it been Paul who had given that noble the directions to his house? He had wondered how that man had found his house… Who else but Paul D'Arque? _If I get my hands on that man_! _I__ should have known that a man who's always_ _surrounded by lunatics couldn't be trusted! _

"We are in the asylum, are we not?" Belle asked, confused. "Who did this to you?"

"What are you talking about? Don't you remember?" Gaston hadn't expected this, but it could work out in his favor. If Belle didn't remember that noble showing up at his house, then things weren't lost yet.

"Not much. I remember the wedding, and I can tell that you have been fighting," she said. With her hand she went over her bandages. "How did I get injured?"

This was good - she didn't remember! "Oh, my poor darling," Gaston said sympathetically as he reached through the bars. He smiled at her. "It was a horrible fight. As your husband, I tried my best to defend you."

Belle nodded. The fight was obvious. But Gaston defending her… why was that part missing from her memory? If he had defended her… then why was she wounded, while _he_ seemed to be unharmed? "How did I get stabbed?" she asked. Gaston didn't say anything. "Gaston?"

He had to think fast. If she didn't believe his story, he would lose her. He had to convince her that wounding her was the only way to save their marriage. "You don't know how scared I was," he finally said. "I was so afraid that I would lose you."

"Lose me?" she said.

He nodded. "I only took that knife to scare off that noble, when he tried to take you away."

"That noble…?" Belle tried to remember. The memory was blurry, but she did remember something. "You mean that man…" _His eyes! That was… _

Gaston suddenly grabbed her hand which was holding her side. The sudden movement caused her side to flare up with intense pain, making it hard to think. Tears came to her eyes. She felt as if she could faint any moment.

"Belle, I know it's a lot to take in, but you must believe me: I tried to defend your honor!"

"My honor?" she asked, confused. Had Gaston been the one who had stabbed her? How could he stab her when he was defending her? "Why?" she said as she slowly backed away.

Gaston turned away from her. "I can't even say it!"

"What?"

"That noble, that evil noble… he wanted to have his _droit de seigneur_."

"What is that?"

Gaston turned back and smiled at her. "My sweet little wife, you are still so innocent." He reached out through the bars again and put her hair behind her ear. "Some noblemen believe they have the right to have the first night with a bride who lives on their land."

Belle fell silent. She had so much to think about. It couldn't be Adam. Adam would never harm her. No one had ever been as sweet to her as Adam. Besides her husband, of course… And Adam didn't exist. But he had been there, at the wedding party, had he not? Only her Adam was a Beast, while the man at her wedding was, well, a man. How could a Beast and a man be the same person? They couldn't...yet they sounded the same...

More memories of her wedding came back. The man had kissed her hand. He had been gentle and kind….like Adam. In no way he behaved like Gaston made it sound.

She tried to think what had happened before she had opened her eyes and found herself in that luxurious bedroom. She had mistaken it for the Maison, but she was in a castle. She couldn't recall anything about how she came to be there. All she felt was the throbbing pain in her side… where Gaston had stabbed her!

"What's wrong, honey?" Gaston asked. He sounded sincerely worried. "Did he lay his hands on you? He didn't touch you, did he?"

"No, I don't think so…" she said slowly.

"That's not good enough! You need to know for sure!" he yelled all of a sudden. "Any bruises? Are you sore between your legs?"

"No!" Belle said, shocked. Gaston's sudden mood swing was as scary as the thought that he had attacked her. For her own good. To defend her from someone who would never attack her.

"Good." Gaston smiled, gently caressing her cheek. "I could never forgive you if you were no longer untouched." His smile faded for a second. "You are _mine._ Never forget that! You are my wife."

Belle didn't say anything. She was slowly beginning to understand that she might have made a mistake. The gaps in her memory were getting smaller, and things were becoming clearer. If Adam was real, then why had she believed otherwise? Why had she agreed to marry Gaston, when Adam was NOT a figment of her imagination?

She looked up into Gaston's eyes. The look in his eyes had changed, become hard and almost threatening, and it frightened her. "Yes, Gaston," she said almost inaudibly.

"No matter what others may tell you, we are married till death do us part!" The grip on her wrist tightened. "Do you understand?"

He emphasized each word. And with each word, she became slightly more terrified, even though he was behind bars. Who knew what he was up to...what he was capable of?

"I do," she assured him, nodding.

* * *

Adam had to hear it from her own lips. How could she say have said 'I do' to a man who clearly didn't love her? The girl he once knew would never marry a man like that. The conditions of the spell were clear: he could only become human again if someone learned to love him. How and why had she loved him if she was engaged to someone else?

He wouldn't rest until he knew why. He would never find peace otherwise.

He stood in front of the door of Belle's room, but hesitated. He didn't want to go in. He needed to know the answers...yet now that he was here, something within him was afraid to hear the truth. If there was only a way to avoid this.

He looked around and saw a servant girl dusting the hallway. She curtseyed deeply when she saw him looking at her. He sighed and straightened his back. He realized that he was human again and the prince. He couldn't walk away from his problems anymore. He had to face them and solve them.

Without making a sound he opened the door. "Belle?" He opened the door further and stepped into the room. He didn't hear anything or anyone. He also didn't see anyone! The bed was empty! He looked around the room, but there was absolutely no one there! The only sign of Belle was the bloody dress piled up in a corner of the room. She was gone!

"Belle!" he yelled as he ran out of the room. "Where is she?!" he yelled to the servant girl. "Where did she go?"

"Who?" the girl asked, trembling.

"Belle! Who took her?" Adam yelled. "I ordered you to stay here!" He took another step in her direction, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Tell me, girl! Where did she go?"

The girls started crying. "I didn't see anyone!"

"Then why is she gone?! She couldn't fly out the window!"

Lumière came running up the stairs, quickly followed by the priest. "My prince, what is wrong?"

"Belle is gone!"

"I only left this hall for a few minutes!" the girl sobbed. "I'm sorry! It's all my fault!"

For a moment Adam thought that he was going crazy. His mind was racing. He had lost her, then found her, and now he had lost her again? Where could she be? Would she remember the castle? it looked so different now from when she was here before.

_How did she get out of this room? _Adam fretted. _She was badly injured. She couldn't have gone out by herself! I should have never left her side! I should have had guards at the door! Why did I let the doctor leave the room? _Then a chilling possibility occurred to him. _That man… could it be? No, the cells in the tower are impossible to escape! No, it couldn't be him!_

But he had to be sure. "Is the prisoner still in the tower?" he asked.

The priest nodded. "I just left him. We had a good conversation about God and forgiveness, but he didn't-"

Adam didn't want to hear all that. "Did you let him out of his cell?" he interrupted.

"Of course not!" the priest said, slightly offended. "The guards opened his cell, I went in. We talked. The guards let me out when I was done."

"And you are sure they locked the cell door when you left?"

"I didn't see it, Your Majesty. I had already gone downstairs," the priest said with an apologetic shrug "It could be-"

"Never mind!" Adam yelled as he ran through the hallways to the tower. There was only one way to find out, and that was to go there himself!

* * *

"Now, _you_ have to get me out of here," Gaston said as he let go of Belle.

Belle didn't want to admit it, but she wasn't sure if she _wanted_ Gaston to get out. Her husband had locked her away in an insane asylum, claiming It was for her own good. After she had done everything he told her to to get out,, she had married him...and somehow she had ended up getting stabbed.

She looked at the bars. The entire cell looked very solid. She would need a key to get him out, but she didn't have one. "How am I-"

Gaston's perfect hearing picked up some sounds in the distance. "Someone is coming!" he suddenly said. "He cannot find you here! Go hide behind the door and don't make a sound!"

She did hide behind the door, but not just because Gaston told her so. She wasn't entirely sure if she was right that the nobleman at her wedding, the one Gaston said he had protected her from, truly _was _Adam. What if Gaston was right?

She leaned against the stone wall behind the door. She closed her eyes and hoped that she was right about Adam – that somehow, he really_ was_ her beloved Beast. If she was wrong, she couldn't be found here.

"Where is she?" she heard a voice yell.

It sounded like Adam. How he had banged on her door and ordered her to come to dinner…

"Who?" Gaston asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me!" the other voice continued. "Where is Belle?"

"I should be asking you that question – you took her away from me!" Gaston pointed out. "Where is my wife?"

"She's not in her bedroom!" Adam snapped.

"So where is she? What did you do to her?" Gaston snapped back.

The conversation stopped, but Belle couldn't make out what happened. She heard the sound of metal against metal, but couldn't identify exactly what it was. It wasn't the cell door, but it wasn't swords either. Neither man spoke further. Then she heard footsteps echo down the stairs.

The nobleman had sounded angry...but also concerned. And his voice resembled Adam's so much, there was hardly any doubt in her mind. Maybe she was delirious from the pain, but now she couldn't come to any other conclusion than that Adam and this man were the same! That meant… that Adam _was_ real!

The realization filled her with relief. If Adam was real, then the Beast, the castle, _everything_ was real. She was in Adam's castle! Which meant that she wasn't crazy! No matter how impossible it sounded, she _had_ been staying with a Beast in a castle. There had been no reason to go to the asylum. No reason to try to get out of the asylum. No reason to marry Gaston! If he hadn't locked her away…

_That's why he did it, _she thought, suddenly feeling cold all over. _It was all just another scheme to make me his wife..._

Gaston's voice interrupted her thoughts. "You hear now what he is after. He wants you," Gaston said. "And he will stop at nothing."

_And neither will you_, Belle thought grimly. No one was more determined than Gaston to get his way. She had known that Gaston had wanted her, but that he would go this far…

"Belle, you can come out now!"

Her heart started pounding in her throat. She knew she was safe from him - he was in his cell and there was no way he could get out. But with Gaston, you never knew what could happen. She came out from behind the door, but stayed as far from his cell as possible.

"You have to go back to the village, Belle." Gaston said. He paced up and down his cell like a caged animal. "Get the mayor! Get someone to get me out of here!"

Belle didn't speak.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" he hissed through his teeth. " I am your husband!" He reached through the bars for her, but she was too far away for him to get hold of her. "You will do as I say!"

Belle instinctively backed away, bumping into the wall.

In an instant, Gaston's voice changed. "I'm sorry, honey," he said, his voice soft and sincere. But she knew know it was all an act. "Come here," he said.

She hesitated.

"What's wrong? You're not afraid of your own husband, are you?" he let out a soft laugh. "I said: come here."

Not knowing what he could do, she slowly approached him. He took her hands again through the bars and looked at her. His lips smiled, but his eyes didn't.

"Belle, I want you to be strong," he said. He caressed her cheek. "You heard him. That man is very angry with me for threatening him. He has sentenced me to death."

Belle couldn't help it - she had to raise her eyebrows at this. Everything that happened was beyond anything she could ever imagine, but Adam sentencing a man to death? No. Not her Adam. He had a temper, but he would never… No… it was impossible.

Gaston was lying to her. He needed her to get him out. He was manipulating her. Like he had done in the asylum.

"If you don't get me out of here, I will be dead tomorrow morning!" Gaston insisted.

Adam would never_…_ But still… "I have to talk to him," she thought out loud.

"You are not going anywhere near that man!" Gaston interrupted her thoughts. "Make sure you get out of the castle, unseen, and get help."

Yes, she would get help. And she knew exactly where to get it.

* * *

Adam had retreated into the West Wing and didn't look up when he heard the door. He was looking out the window, his eyes fixed on the courtyard. That was the place where they used to do the executions, years and years ago. He felt shivers go down his spine as he watched the executioner getting everything ready.

In all his life, his father had only executed a prisoner once. Adam had been seven or eight years old. At the time, and he had not been allowed to watch it from up close. His father had ordered him to stay in his room. Both his parents had agreed that it wasn't something he should see at such a young age. His parents had not realized that he could see everything from the windows in his room.

He didn't remember what the prisoner had done. But his parents argued about it. His mother was against the execution; she thought a lifetime in prison or hard labor was a better punishment. His father argued that he wanted to get rid of the danger. The man was a threat to the kingdom. He had to die. It was the only right thing to do.

And so was this.

He finally turned around. To his disappointment, he didn't see Belle. The only ones standing there were Cogsworth, Lumière, the priest, and several soldiers. "Any sign of her yet?"

"No, Your Majesty." Cogsworth shook his head. He didn't move from the doorway. "We have searched everywhere, but found no trace of her."

Adam let out a growl of frustration. "Well, keep looking!" he yelled as he paced up and down the room. "Leave no chamber unsearched, no garden unexplored. Let no one in this castle sleep until she's safe!"

"Yes, sire," Cogsworth answered. He ushered the guards out of the room, but he himself stayed.

Adam went over to the glass bell jar with the golden Rose. Where was that Enchantress when he needed her? If only he had a way to summon her. Even without the magic mirror, there must be other ways to find Belle.

"Everyone is looking. We will find her, my prince," Lumière broke the silence. "She cannot be far."

"If only I could believe that, Lumière!" Adam said cynically. "If we cannot find her, she could be anywhere! What if that man had help?"

"Impossible, my prince," Cogsworth disagreed. "Everyone who wants to get in has to get past the guards."

_If everyone has to pass the guards to get in… then so does everyone who wants to get out._ "That means she still has to be in the castle," Adam muttered. "Double the guards at every entrance and at the gates!"

"As you command, my prince," Lumière said as he left the room.

Adam looked out of the window. He tried to get things straight. That man was in the castle, and so was Belle. If Belle was still in the castle and the danger was still in the castle, he had to remove the danger. He shouldn't wait till tomorrow.

"We'd better get this over with. Is everything ready for the execution?" Nobody spoke. Immediately Adam started to feel irritated. He turned around and saw Cogsworth and the priest look at each other. "Now what?"

Cogsworth softly coughed. "Ehm… your Grace, it is customary in circumstances like this, when a convict is from low birth, a peasant if you will, and not someone from high birth, such as a nobleman, that the death sentence is-"

Adam sighed. "Cogsworth, stop babbling! What is the problem?"

"The death sentence should be death by hanging, but-"

"But what?!" Adam yelled.

Cogsworth looked at the priest, who still didn't speak. "The wooden beams of the gallows are completely rotten," he finally explained. "During the cursed years we were not able to keep up the maintenance."

"And your point?"

"It will never hold the prisoner's weight. It will collapse immediately. We cannot proceed with the execution."

Adam shrugged. "Then do it a different way. I don't care."

"Your Highness!" the priest finally spoke. He was in shock. "Life and death is not something to think lightly of! Life is a precious thing."

"Don't talk to me about how precious life is!" Adam snapped immediately. "That man took a life, so I can take his!"

"But he didn't succeed in taking the life of the mademoiselle," the priest pointed out.

"Luckily he didn't!" Adam muttered. "Thank the Lord she is still alive. Thanks to her, you all walk on two legs again!"

Cogsworth and the priest didn't speak. Adam took their silence as agreement that he was right. Everything going on at this moment was thanks to Belle.

"I agree," the priest answered after a few moments. "And we are forever in her debt. But the prisoner didn't take her life. Do you have the right to take his?"

"You saw that man, you spoke to him. Didn't you, Father?"

"Yes I did, a few hours ago."

"And?"

"No remorse," the priest admitted. "He refused the last rites. He says he will not die tomorrow."

"We'll see about that," Adam said with a smirk. He looked out the window again. The executioner seemed to be practicing his swing with his axe. "Did he really refuse last rites?"

The priest nodded. "He didn't want to have a last confession, let alone prepare his soul for the last journey."

"Then what did you do when you were there?" Adam asked.

"Listen. Some people need to talk in their last moments on Earth, and some people are more forthcoming and willing to talk without an official confession."

Adam didn't say anything.

"He is an interesting man," the priest went on. "I have never met anyone so convinced of his own truth. He truly believes the mademoiselle needed to go the asylum to find her place in life at his side.. He said he knew she belonged to him ever since he spotted her the first time."

"I don't want to hear this." Adam waved his hand dismissively. "Please go looking for her."

The two men left. Adam watched the executioner sharpening his axe. The death of the prisoner would be quick and painless. Part of him wanted to torture this man as long as possible, but what good would that do? Better to get it over with quickly. Neither he nor Belle would ever be free as long as this man was still alive. It was the only right thing to do.

He heard the door open again.

"You may only come in if you have found Belle,," he said without looking.

"I have found her," a familiar female voice said.

Adam closed his eyes. For a moment he was convinced he was dreaming.

"Belle…" he said breathlessly as he turned around.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N **Happy 2014 everyone!

* * *

**Chapter 12**

"It_ is_ you, isn't it?" Belle asked hesitantly. She didn't move from the doorway. It still was unbelievable, and it couldn't be true, but it felt true. "You are who I think you are?"

Adam couldn't control his excitement any longer. "Oh Belle… You remember!" He ran over to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "When I saw you with that man, I was so afraid I would lose you!"

Belle screamed in pain - Adam had touched the exact spot of her stab wound.

"Oh my darling, I'm so sorry," Adam apologized as he helped her to the couch. When she sat, he helped her by putting her legs on the couch. He almost couldn't believe that she was here with him in the West Wing. Now everything would turn out all right in the end.

He took her hands and kissed them. "Are you all right? I didn't mean to hurt you."

She was panting and she felt dizzy for several moments. But when this man held her, no matter the pain she was in, she knew it was Adam. She had to take a few deep breaths and the pain became less. Suddenly, she looked up and saw the torn painting across her. She realized now why the man at her wedding had looked so familiar. It was too much to contain. This man was Adam. Adam was the Beast. The Beast was this man.

She looked at his hands, holding hers, and remembered dancing with the Beast that one evening. But in front of her sat a man. His claws were now hands. Adam's claws were this man's hands. She pulled back her hands and said, "I need to ask you something."

"Anything, my darling."

Belle couldn't think of the right way to say this, but she had to know. "What are you?" she asked. "Are you a wizard?"

Adam was astonished for a moment. "What?"

"Or a shape shifter? I read a book once about a shape shifter. Sometimes he was a bear, most of the time he was a man. He couldn't control when he was going to change." She was getting out of breath, and the pain was distracting her. "I just don't understand how you can be both the Beast I knew and the man sitting in front of me."

This was not how Adam had pictured this moment. Now that he thought of it, he had not pictured this moment at all. He had not thought about how he was going to explain this entire situation to her. He had assumed that once the spell was broken, she would somehow know everything. He hoped that he could delay this conversation a little longer.

He placed his hand upon her cheek and smiled. "Are you sure you want to hear that now? You need to rest."

Belle nodded. She had thought he was an imaginary figure, that she had truly gone crazy. She needed answers. "Whether I lie in bed or here on a couch, I need to know: Who are you?"

Adam stood up from the couch and started to pace the room. How could he tell a girl as perfect as Belle who he had been before they met? Would she want to have anything to do with a man who had behaved as badly as he had? For a moment he thought about lying, making up a fantastic story that would make him look good. Telling her that he was the victim of everything that had happened.

Then he looked back at her and saw her waiting. He couldn't lie to her, nor did he want to. She was almost dead because of him. He owed her the truth. The whole truth.

"Adam?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry," he apologized. With his arms crossed he leaned against the table next to the couch. "I just don't know where to start."

"Start at the beginning."

The beginning? Where did it begin? It began long before the actual spell was placed. "You live nearby," he decided. "You know who this castle belongs to?"

"Yes, the royal family of course."

"My father was the king's youngest brother. He, my mother and I lived in this castle during the winter months. The rest of the year we spend in Versailles or wherever the king decided to stay." He stopped as he looked at Belle, who looked amazed by what he had just said. "What is it?"

"You are a prince?"

"Yes," Adam said, confused. "I thought you had figured that out."

"I never really gave it much thought," she admitted. "I assumed you were a nobleman living here as some sort of steward."

"No, my darling, I was born in a royal cradle. Eighth in line for the throne of France. A prince of the blood." He sighed and looked at the Rose. "Not that I ever deserved that title."

"Why not?" she asked. If he was a prince… then he had to be good, hadn't he? "In my books, the princes were always the ones that saved everyone in the end of the story." When she said it out loud, she realized how naïve it sounded.

"I didn't save anyone. I have caused this all."

"You saved me from the wolves. I know you. I know you are a good… man. I know you have a good heart."

"You give me too much credit, Belle. I wasn't always like this." She didn't get it. He had to tell her everything. He opened his mouth, but then closed it. Explaining this was even harder than he had imagined.

"I wronged many people when I was younger. Although I had everything my heart desired, I was spoiled, selfish and unkind," he continued. "I cared for no one but myself."

He stopped talking. There was a long silence. Belle could see how he struggled to continue. She could see that every muscle in his body was tensed. She didn't want to rush him, but she was curious to hear how this story would end.

"What happened?" she tried to encourage him.

"Fate," he said as he looked back at her. "One winter's night an old beggar woman came to the castle and she offered me a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. And I…"

Again, he stopped. He couldn't continue. He was so ashamed how he had acted that night, how he had ruined the lives of so many people.

Belle reached out her hand to him. He looked so tortured. He had suffered more than she had ever thought. He took her hand, but he didn't continue immediately.

"I couldn't see it," he finally said. "I didn't see the beauty of that simple gift. All I saw was the bearer of something small and insignificant: an ugly old hag in tattered clothes. I laughed and I sent her away. He sighed. " "She tried to warn me. She said that I shouldn't be deceived by appearances, but that beauty was found within."

"Oh…"

"I didn't listen. I turned around and wanted to go back into the castle, when behind me I heard the most beautiful music I had ever heard. I saw bright lights. When I looked back, the old woman had disappeared and there she was."

"Who?" Belle narrowed her eyes. She had a feeling where he was going.

"An enchantress. She was floating in mid air. Everything about her was magic. I tried to beg for her forgiveness, but she said that it was too late. There was no love in my heart. And my punishment was to live in this castle transformed into a hideous beast."

Everything fell together; it was just like in one of her books. "You were under an enchantment. A prince in disguise."

Adam smirked. "There were so many days that I couldn't recall what it was like to be a prince. Or even human." He let go of her hands and walked through the West Wing. He had spent so many hours here. "I was locked away here, I didn't dare to go out. Not that I wanted to. I was too ashamed of my monstrous form. I didn't want anyone to see me like that."

He closed his eyes and said the words he had never said out loud. "All I could do was wait."

"For what?"

"For death." He opened his eyes and was surprised not to see any fear or horror in her eyes. It wasn't pity either. It was compassion. He gave her a smile. "Or the girl who would learn to love me. And earn her love in return. That was the spell. I had to be worthy of someone's love." He knelt down next to the couch and looked at her. "Your love."

"Oh Adam…" Belle placed her hand on his and leant in to kiss him.

It was a lot to take in, but he was here and he was real. And it was her love that had broken the spell. Not even in her dreams could she have come up with this story.

Adam broke their kiss and caressed her hair. He carefully pulled her in for a hug. He was finally reunited with the one he loved. He couldn't remember a day that he had ever been so happy. But there was one thing that was bothering him.

"I know you are tired and I don't want to fatigue you, but I need to ask you a question as well." He said as he let go of her to look at her. "There is something I need to know."

"Of course," she smiled.

"Were you engaged to that man when you came to the castle the first time?"

Belle gasped. _Gaston! _ She had almost forgotten about him. If he knew she was here… No. He was locked in a tower, he couldn't hurt her.

"Why do you want to know…?"

Adam didn't say anything. He couldn't be thinking… No, he wouldn't. He knew she loved him. She had broken the spell, hadn't she? How could she be engaged if she loved another man? But then again, all the memories in her mind tumbled over one another. Gaston had brought her to the Maison to get her to marry him, that she was sure of. But how their relationship was before she went to the castle...she couldn't remember it clearly. "I… I don't think so."

"What do you mean, you don't think so? Either you were engaged or you were not."

"My mind… my memories," Belle stuttered. "It's all a blur!"

Adam tried to be patient, but it was so hard. He had to know the details. "Try to think, darling. This is important." All he had to hear was that Belle had been somehow tricked into her marriage. Or forced. That she loved him and him alone. "Who brought you to the asylum? It was him, I know it! He brought you there, didn't he?" Adam insisted. "He brought you there, he let people torture you..."

"I don't want to talk about that place." Belle's voice started to tremble as memories of the Maison came back to her. She felt the cold of the water from her first day again. She saw Gaston's face as he closed her cell door. She saw-

Adam interrupted her thoughts: "Were you engaged to him or not?"

"I don't know!"

Belle started to cry, and Adam took her in his arms again. He tried to comfort her, but she couldn't stop her tears. She couldn't make any sense of her memories. She couldn't have been engaged to Gaston. But she was married to him now. She loved Adam, but she was married to Gaston. Her Lord and Master, who she was bound to serve, love and obey. Gaston who was waiting for her in the tower, waiting till she would get him out of there. She didn't want him to get out, but she couldn't let her husband stay in prison for the rest of his life! How could she ever make a decision?

"I don't know!" she cried.

Adam had made up his mind. This fragile girl in his arms was not the girl he once knew. He knew he had made the right decision. Engaged or not, Married or not, he would end it. That man had totally shattered her personality.

"You don't need to worry, Belle," he whispered. "He will die first thing tomorrow morning. I have already ordered the execution."

Belle tried to catch her breath between the tears. She heard Adam speak, but she wasn't sure what he said. "The what?"

"The execution," Adam repeated as he looked at her. He stroked her hair and wiped away a few tears. "He will never hurt you again. I won't let him."

"You are going to kill Gaston?" Belle said, astonished. She must have misunderstood Adam. He couldn't have said what she thought he had said. No matter what someone had done, she had never understood a death sentence. She was taught to forgive. She was taught everyone was entitled to a second chance. Even Gaston.

"It's not killing. It's justice," Adam explained. "The death sentence is valid. He has to pay for his crimes. An execution is only valid."

How could he say that so calmly, without any emotion? "The outcome is the same," Belle argued. She wiped away her remaining tears and tried to sit up straight.

"Tomorrow morning everything will be back to normal," Adam said. "And then-"

"Killing a man at the break of dawn is normal?"

"HE TRIED TO KILL YOU!" Adam didn't mean to yell, but it was almost impossible to control himself. Why couldn't she see things his way? He took a deep breath and said in a calmer voice: "He tried to kill you."

Belle took a deep breath as well and tried to ignore throbbing pain in her side. "He didn't succeed." Whatever Gaston had done, he didn't deserve to die. "I'm doing much better."

Adam stood up and walked away from her. "I'd thought you'd be pleased!"

"Pleased?!" Belle exclaimed. She gasped as the pain in her side increased. "How can I be pleased when you want to kill my-"

"Your what, Belle? Your fiancé, your husband?" Adam interrupted. "The man who locked you away in an asylum!"

Belle didn't speak.

"Belle, listen. I thought this through. Execution is the only way to get rid of him."

Belle was astounded by how casually Adam talked about life and death. 'Get rid of him'… It sounded so simple. But if Adam did this for her, then she would be just as guilty. She looked up to him. "Then he's dead. And then what?"

"Then we can finally be together," Adam started. "Then you are no longer bound to him and we can get married. You can come live here. Your father can come live here. I can take care of you both. When we are together, everything will be all right."

"_That's _what this is all about? To get me?" Belle couldn't believe her ears. Gaston would lock her up to marry her. Adam would kill Gaston to marry her. Was _she_ the one that was insane, or everyone around her? "You sound just like Gaston!"

Adam's eyes narrowed. "Don't _ever_ compare me to that man!" he whispered, agitated.

"You are no better than Gaston..." Belle said as she felt tears coming up again.

"I would never lock you up."

"You already did." She shook her head. "When I first came here."

Adam didn't know what to say for a moment. He couldn't deny that, but he was not the man or the Beast he had been back then. "That was different. _I_ was different! Belle, I have changed!"

"If you are going to kill another man, then, yes, you have changed," Belle said through her tears. "Only not for the better…"

"He has to die!" Adam could barely restrain himself. The frustration was clearly getting to him. But she couldn't agree to his point of view. "It is for your own good!"

With those words, something snapped in Belle. Now she knew for sure that Adam was no better than Gaston. "That's exactly what Gaston told me!" she exclaimed. "I had to go to the asylum for my own good. My books had to go for my own good!" She looked at Adam. "And now Gaston has to die for my own good!"

Both stared at each other in silence.

Adam turned his back on her. Why was she so stubborn? He was nothing like that man. He was trying to do the only decent thing he could do. He was trying to protect her. He owed her protection, whether she wanted it or not. She had broken the spell. He couldn't let her be married to that man.

"Adam, please… Isn't there another way?" he heard Belle say. "An execution is not-"

"You know, Belle, maybe _you_ are the one who is changed."

Belle didn't know what to say to that. There was only one thing she could think of. "I wish to see my father."

"He is in the room next to yours," Adam said without looking at her.

He heard how she struggled to get up from the couch, but he couldn't bring himself to help her. She had hurt him more than he could ever say.

How could she not see what he was trying to do? This was right. How could she be against it?

She didn't understand that when this man doesn't die she will be married to him for the rest of her life. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let the girl who rescued him be married to a violent, dangerous man.

* * *

Belle walked slowly across the hall with her hand on the wall for support. She tried to keep her head high and her back straight. The hallway seemed to go on forever.

She had to get to her father. She had to get out of here. She had to get away from Adam.

Gaston had been right. Adam was a ruthless noble who was going to kill Gaston. How could Adam think that she would marry him because he was going to kill for her? He was not the man she had thought he was.

She tried not to think about what was worse: the pain in her side, or the pain in her heart. She had really thought he had changed. When they had their night together, their dinner, their dance, their moment on the balcony… he _was_ changed. The Beast was kind and gentle. He had released her when she needed it most.

Adam and the Beast were not the same.

Her strength was gone by the time she reached the door. It took her last energy to knock. When her father opened the door, she fell into his arms and started crying. "Papa!"

"Belle!" her father said in surprise. He took her face between his hands. He looked into her eyes and was shocked by what he saw. "What happened, honey? You look so pale!"

"Please, papa, don't ask any questions. I want to go home!" she said between sobs. "Please take me home!"

He took her in his arms and gently rocked her. "My poor girl. What happened?"

Belle was unable to speak. She was so exhausted. "Oh, Papa! Get me out of here…"

"It will be all right," he said as he patted her on her back. "It will be all right." He pulled a cord and a servant appeared.

"My daughter and I want to go home to Montville. Can we borrow a carriage?"

* * *

It was almost noon when Adam looked out of the window of the West Wing. He saw the carriage with Belle and her father ride over the bridge.

"Cogsworth, get everything ready. Tomorrow there will be an execution."


End file.
